Chronicles of Naruto and Hanabi
by Spark of Fate
Summary: 4 years has passed since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. After a receiving a prophecy and a fateful encounter, Naruto takes a disciple as he learns more about his clan while he works towards his goal to become the next Hokage. What will the future hold for these two, and how will they tackle it together? Naruto/Hanabi. Rated M for language and mature content. Ch. 8 is up!
1. Home Bound

**Chronicles of Naruto and Hanabi**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter posted 01APR14 -

\- Last updated 12MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _w__hispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An **emphasis on a word** in thought.'_

**_**"Bijū or the sort speaking."**_**

**_'Bijū_ or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bij**ū's sound effect or action of some effect.*****

****Title.****

****Sections.****

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

This is a reboot. With the Naruto nearing it's end, I can make this more compatible with the actual story. Things will be different, that's just how it's going to be. As for the last series… *sigh* I found it appalling to say the least. The way I used Japanese Romanji was not fluid at all, so I'm going to take all of that out. Also, I'm going to change things from the beginning. As I stand right now, Naruto won't have any Rinnegan or shit like that. Seen too many FFs like that and I want to do this more closely to The Ice Princess of Konoha, yet in my own style too.

I sincerely hope the old fans will like the new series, and new fans will come to appreciate it. Either way, I plan to have fun while writing this. Without further ado, lets get this started.

* * *

**Prologue**

4 years has passed since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Naruto has turned 21 and has been travelling the world, constantly doing A and S-Ranked missions for the Hidden Leaf Village Konoha, while seeking answers to a vague prophecy told to him by the Great Toad Sage of an even that would change his world. After his journey turns up fruitless, he decides to head back to the village.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Home Bound**

「4 Years after the 4th Shinobi World War - 30th of March」

*Sigh*

A lone figure draped in a heavy cloak and hood exhaled in the light drizzle, increasing the fog he walks through even more as he leaves the cityscape of the Hidden Rain Village behind him.

'_What am I going to do now?'_ The shinobi questioned himself mentally. '_Damn old toad, giving me a prophecy of without any specifics. He told me to retrace my steps from the beginning to the end, only then will the next path appear. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!'_ Naruto cried out in his mental landscape.

*Sigh*_ 'I guess I should take the quick way home, rather than walk all the way back. Hey, Kurama, mind if I take some chakra? Even I don't have enough chakra to use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to get back in one go.'_

***Grunt***

'_Come on Kurama. Don't me like that!'_

***Mumble***

'_Hey, furball, I know you hear me!'_

_**'**_**Who are you calling furball, foolish mortal._'_**

'_Oh come on Kurama! You've been more of a pain since you merged with your Yin-half!'_

_**'**_**I still don't understand how my Yang-half took a liking to you… Nonetheless mortal, you needn't ask, must I keep reminding you. You conquered my Yang-half, so you have right of half, AND ONLY HALF, of my chakra. No more. Unless you wish to risk your life again._'_**

'_Come on Kurama! I already told you I don't want to fight you. I just want us to be friends. Just like Yang-Kurama.'_

_**'**_**My other half has become weak if he considers you a friend, mortal. How could you understand the mind of an immortal._'_**

'_Man… This guy is just a grumpy kitty-'_

_**'**_**I CAN HEAR YOU, MORTAL!_'_**

'_Shit… Fine. I'll win you over one of these days Yin-Kurama!'_

***Grunt***

Naruto closes his eyes and meditates. Slowly, he absorbs the Nature energy around him and melds it with his own charka and some from the Kyūbi's chakra. He focuses even more, feeling out the landscape of Konoha from memory and where his seal is.

Suddenly, Naruto vanishes as he is pulled through the very fabric of space and time towards the anchor which is the seal at the other end.

* * *

A flash of blinding light fills the room-

"WHAT THE HELL NARUTO!" The blond Hokage yelled out in pure reaction to the flash.

"-Oh. Hi Tsunade! I synced to the wrong ta-"

The Fifth Hokage swiftly delivers a punch to his head. "Maybe I should change your title to Knuckle-Head Ninja Naruto!"

_'Heh… Actual-... No… Lets not go there'_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Come on Tsunade-"

"-Hokage-"

"... Tsuna-"

"Hokage"

"... Grandm-"

The blonde Hokage delivers another swift blow to the head.

"Ok, Ok... Hokage. I'm sorry. I focused on the wrong tag when I jumped from the Hidden Rain Village."

"You jumped all the way from the Hidden Rain Village? How did you not die from that?"

"Oh, I borrowed some chakra… Although… I do feel tire-"

"SHIT!" Tsunade cried out as Naruto came crashing to the ground unconcious.

**_'_****HEH HEH HEH. Foolish mortal. A quarter of my chakra would be enough if you did it right…_'_**

* * *

Several hours passed before he stirred. His head twitched suddenly, making loud cracking sounds. The blond shinobi groaned loudly.

"What happened…" The ninja asked in a groggy state, not expecting an answer.

"You forgot to remove your own seals before making that jump, you idiot."

"Damn. I knew I was forgetting to do something. I leave them on for so long I forget about them… How long was I out for?"

"Two hours."

"Two hours?" Naruto asked in disbelief as she stirred even more on the couch.

"You're lucky it wasn't longer. I had to transfer some of my chakra to you just to stabilize your condition. Seemed that damn fox isn't going to help you unless you are about to die."

"Oh… He was laughing his ass off… Heard the furball for hours…"

***Growl***

A shiver ran through his spine from the demonic rumble the beast inside was giving off. Naruto clenched his eyes and stretched his upper body before springing out of the bed.

"Am I good to go?"

"Even if I said no, you would leave anyways…"

"Thank you Tsunade!" Naruto exclaimed as he climbed out the window, ready to jump. "I'll visit again soon!" With his final statement, he leaped home bound.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

This chapter was a lot shorter than I thought. I'm use to typing really long chapters, but shorter might be better. Harder for you to lose your place, and if it's shorter, that means more frequent updates. Meh. I guess we can thing of this as the intro. Short and sweet. Now that Naruto is back in town, now I can start really doing some stuff. So while this chapter is short, don't expect the rest of them to be as well!

As stated before, the inspiration for this pairing is from a fanfiction a long time ago called The Ice Princess of Konoha.

The Ice Princess of Konoha is no longer on , but I do have Chapters 1, 2, and 5 saved on my computer. If anyone has Chapters 3 and 4, let me know. I WANT THEM! If you want the first 2 chapters, I'll be happy to email you a copy of them, just ask. It's really great ff in my opinion.

* * *

**Edits**

01APR14: Added underline to a title.

22APR14: Minor change. Nothing to the story.

27APR14: Replaced all words of Hyuga and Kyubi with Hyūga and Kyūbi.

30APR14: Changed rating to M due to content of Chapter 6.

02MAY14: Minor changes here and there. Spruce it up a little. Nothing too much.

11MAY14: Changed section at the top stating when the chapter was posted and when it was last updated.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

* * *

\- Chapter 1 -

\- COMPLETE -


	2. Chance Encounter

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter posted 02APR14 -

\- Last updated 12MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _w__hispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An **emphasis on a word** in thought.'_

**_"Bijū or the sort speaking."_**

**_'Bijū_ or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bij**ū's sound effect or action of some effect.*****

**Title.**

**Sections.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

I've decided to keep my last work up, for now. I'll probably take it down once I get far enough in this series. I also decided to focus on one series at a time. No bouncing between 2 series like I did with the last one.

* * *

**Previous Chapter**

Several hours passed before he stirred. His head twitched suddenly, making loud cracking sounds. The blond shinobi groaned loudly.

"What happened…" The ninja asked in a groggy state, not expecting an answer.

"You forgot to remove your own seals before making that jump, you idiot."

"Damn. I knew I was forgetting to do something. I leave them on for so long I forget about them… How long was I out for?"

"Two hours."

"Two hours?" Naruto asked in disbelief as she stirred even more on the couch.

"You're lucky it wasn't longer. I had to transfer some of my chakra to you just to stabilize your condition. Seemed that damn fox isn't going to help you unless you are about to die."

"Oh… He was laughing his ass off… Heard the furball for hours…"

***Growl***

A shiver ran through his spine from the demonic rumble the beast inside was giving off. Naruto clenched his eyes and stretched his upper body before springing out of the bed.

"Am I good to go?"

"Even if I said no, you would leave anyways…"

"Thank you Tsunade!" Naruto exclaimed as he climbed out the window, ready to jump. "I'll visit again soon!" With his final statement, he leaped home bound.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Chance Encounter**

「30th of March」

The Hokage looked down where Naruto was just perched and noticed a puddle of water.

_'Dammit Naruto. You didn't even realize your cloak was wet.'_

She surveyed the area even more and noticed several droplets of water scattered upon the wooden floor throughout her office. _'Real piece of work. Leaves a trail of water… AND MUD through my office and just leaves without realizing.'_ Tsunade inwardly sighed as she decide to start cleaning up the mess. _'__Best remind myself to lecture him again next time I see him about being clean before coming in my office again.'_

* * *

Soaring through the air with great leaps, his cloak extended out behind him like a cape, as the drops of water flew off from the speed of his jumps. From his initial jump, his hood flew back, revealing his golden spikes. A darker shade of blonde than before, and a bit longer, but still retained most of it's spiky nature. He darts from post to post, rooftop to rooftop as he makes way back to his apartment.

He finally arrives and fumbles for his key. After a few moments, the key slides in perfectly. He turns the door knob, letting out a rusty squeak as the door swings open. He never bothered doing any advance security system for his apartment, as he never had anything worth much. He glanced around at his small apartment. Noticed a thin layer of dust coating everything.

He pulled off his heavy cloak, revealing his new outfit, still consisting of black and some orange. The Elbow-lengthed sleeved shirt was mostly black in color with orange stitching, and orange rectangular patch along the top of the shoulders, down the sides and the entire back. The black strings running the length of the sides of the shirt, used to tighten the shirt to be more form fitting, with the classic green shinobi vest on top, consisting of several pockets to hold tools and scrolls. His pants were the traditional cargo pants most shinobi wore, but of a dark gray variation. His boots were standard, but in black, along with the headband.

"Time to clean this place up." Naruto created several shadow clones of himself to help speed up the process. 1 to buy the cleaning material, to which he handed his wallet to, 2 to start dusting, 1 to start in the bathroom, and the other to start laundry, while he opened his window to let fresh air in.

Almost immediately after opening his window, without even having a chance, a familiar face jumped up, perching himself onto the window sill.

"Hey Naruto. Nice to know you are back in town."

"Hey Shikamaru. I just got back a few hours ago actually."

"Finished your missions? You've been gone for several months straight." Shikamaru questioned with a dull expression on his face.

"Yeah. Tsunade kept sending me more and more missions while I was doing some side work in other nations. Finished the latest one last week, and been spending the better half of last week in the Hidden Rain Village."

"And what made you go there?"

"A vague prophecy given to me by the Great Toad Sage. Been trying to figure out what it means."

"Oh, and what did he say?"

"Hold on…" Naruto began removing a scroll from his vest and tossed it at Shikamaru. "I'm not all that good at remember exact details as to what he said, so I wrote it down shortly afterwards so I wouldn't forget."

Shikamaru unrolled the scroll and frowned upon reading it. "Your penmanship is still horrible to say the least. I dare say it's so bad, we could use it as a new form of encryption so if our enemies ever got their hands on our secrets, it would be near impossible to decrypt." Shikamaru dully quipped towards his friend.

"Yeah, well, I don't see any reason to really focus on writing so neatly! As long as I can understand it, good enough for me." Naruto retorted quickly to his friend's remark.

"Yes, valid point, but it would be nice if you took your time so others can read it too." Shikamaru replied as he continued reading. "Interesting prophecy. I don't know how to help you with it. If I find anything that might be useful on the side, I'll let you know."

"Thanks Shikamaru." Naruto replied in earnest has one of his clones came back with more cleaning supplies.

"Well, I'll leave you and your clones to your devices. Have fun cleaning." Shikamaru grinned.

"I won't." Naruto spat back playfully as his friend left. _'Time to get down to business!'_

Hours passed without any complications. Naruto had to throw out some food that was past expiration and sent one of his clones out to restock his supplies.

After a good thorough cleaning, he dismissed his clones and set out to find some dinner. He knew the perfect place. The only place. With a grin, he took off.

* * *

The sky filled to the brim with stars. Not a cloud in view to block their magnificent light. The moon was full tonight, casting it's light upon the village. A young kunoichi was walking through the streets. With the lights from the lanterns shining upon her, revealed her in the standard Konoha shinobi uniform.

Hanabi. A 16 year old girl from the prestigious clan Hyūga. One of the royal clans of the Hidden Leaf Village, or so their elders kept rambling about. She was having a normal day today, until the elders decided to talk to her. They wanted to wed her off to Konohamaru. She knew why too. She wasn't going to be the heiress to the clan, so in short, they wanted to make the most use out of her before becoming a branch member.

Marry her off to the Sandaime Hokage's grandson. Sure, she saw why. He is the 3rd's grandson. Can't get much more famous than being related to a Hokage. He wasn't bad looking either. Nonetheless, his behavior was childish. He's like a mini Naruto. Causing mischief whenever he can. He doesn't do it for the attention, but to rebel against the path others have laid down for him, much like how she is now currently rebelling against elders for trying to force her down the path laid for her.

The elders made a critical mistake when they told her that she was going to marry the Sarutobi heir. They didn't ask. They didn't give her any say. They gave her no right to say no. They talked like as if it was already set in stone. They tried to force her down a path she did not choose herself. She wasn't like Hinata. So she spoke up. She rebelled. She pretty much told them to go take a dirt nap and promptly stormed out of the Hyūga compound.

She knows Hinata isn't weak. She understands that Hinata, who is the heiress of their clan, did what she had to. She was quiet, she was considerate, she was thoughtful, but she was still meek. She's kind, but still timid. So the elders took advantage of that. Hinata wasn't happy, but she did what she had to do.

'The_ elders decided for Hinata, but they will not decide for me!'_ Fist clenched and eyes narrowed, every person in the street, shinobi and civilians alike, did their best to stay clear of this natural disaster as she tore through the street like a tornado with unstoppable force, letting the wind carry her where they will. They knew this kunoichi was pissed, but they didn't know why. They knew that if they did one thing wrong, they might be on the receiving end of the Hyūga's famous 64-palm strike.

* * *

Naruto grinned as he finished off another bowl. This was his haven. No one ever ridiculed him here for being the Kyūbi's container. The shop owners, Teuchi and Ayame, always welcomed Naruto with open arms. He spoke at lengths with Ayame, who was only 5 years older than him. She was beautiful. She was kind. She had a boyfriend.

Naruto sighed heavily.

"Something wrong?" Ayame asked, wondering why he seemed down.

"It's nothing. Well, I should get back. It was nice catching up with you Ayame!" Naruto replied with a gentle smile. He left payment on the counter, waved goodbye, and stepped out. Hands on his hips, he stretched his muscle and leaning his neck to one side.

*Cra-Crack*

_'__Oh, that felt good.'_

Naruto tilted his head to the other side.

*CRACK*

*Bump*

_'__Did something just hit me?'_ Naruto questioned to himself as he looked down. He immediately knew who it was.

'What_ in the hell did I just walk into, a fucking wall of steel?!'_ Hanabi fell flat on her ass from walking into what seemed to be an immovable object. She instantly glanced up, glaring to who ever was in front of her. _'__Him… The single person who rivals the strength of the 5 Great Shinobi Nations. The Demon Container of Konoha. Naruto Fucking Uzumaki. No wonder I fell flat on my ass.'_

_'_Hot_ damn, that glare is potent. Probably scare half the other ninjas of this village shitless. Did I piss her off or something?'_ Naruto wondered to himself, but stopped from going any farther since it wasn't any of his business. He reached out his hand.

_'_What…_ What is he doing with his hand? Is offering to help me up?'_ Hanabi thought to herself as she took his hand.

Naruto swiftly brought Hanabi to her feet. "Sorry about that Hanabi Hyūga, didn't see you walking this way."

Hanabi pulled her hand from his and proceeded to brush the dirt of her pants. "It's fine. I'm the one who bumped into you anyways." Hanabi sighed angrily.

_'Now I'm intrigued…'_ Going against his earlier judgement, he decided to ask.

"What gives Hanabi Hyūga? You seemed pretty upset about something."

"Clan elders pissed me off, that's all. I was just heading to the training grounds to blow off some steam when I bumped into you."

"Training is a good way to relieve stress." Naruto replied back with a smile.

An idea popped into the young Hyūga's head. "You said you were sorry right?"

Naruto looked back at the kunoichi before him. "Yes…" Naruto replied somewhat hesitantly. _'__What is that look in her eyes?'_

"Did you mean that?" Hanabi asked swiftly. _'__Worth asking. It will help me blow off steam faster if I have someone to help.'_

"Yes…" Naruto replied hesitantly again.

"If you can do just one thing for me, I will accept your apology." Hanabi stated. _'__He isn't going to agree, I just know it.'_

"Depends on what it is."

"Fight me, Naruto Uzumaki." Hanabi demanded boldly. _'__What is wrong with me?'_

Naruto closed his eyes, and looked like he was contemplating the meaning of life and everything in the universe. _"What is wrong with her?"_

**_'HAHAHAHAHA! I like this girl! She has guts to challenge the strongest!'_**

_'Hush you furball. I don't want to hear that coming from you!'_

_**'**_**Agree.'**

_'What?'_

_**'**_**You heard me. Agree. It will be entertaining to see her reaction._'_**

"_..."_

_**'**_**Do it._'_**

_'... You're sadistic.'_

Several moments passed by in silence.

With a huge grin on his face, he gave her an answer. "Sure."

_**'**_**So are you._'_**

_'Oh shit. He did agree. What did I get myself into?!'_

* * *

"This is to help you relieve your frustration, correct?" Naruto asked as they both walked out to the field of one of the training grounds.

"Yes. I figure I could get rid of this stress faster by fighting someone, rather than throwing kunai against targets for practice, so thank you for agreeing."

"Any particular reason you asked me?"

"Well, you happened to be there when I had the idea, and if it's you, I don't have to worry about a thing and go all out." Hanabi proudly stated as she dropped into her Gentle Fist stance and activated her Byakugan.

_'Impulsive.'_ Naruto thought to himself. "That's fine. I'll meet you on with taijutsu alone then."

"That's cocky of you. I know you're powerful but-"

Naruto took a single step. Next thing Hanabi know, Naruto was already within arms reach, ready to strike.

"I can back it up." Naruto replied calmly to the young kunoichi as he thrusted an open palm towards her stomach.

_'Shit-DODGE!'_ Hanabi quickly rotated her body, spinning her body around the arm. _'__I can still hit while spinning. Aim for the arms.'_ Hanabi thought calculatively as she dodged his attack. Her arms extended and she applied small chakra to her fingertips. She reached out, but as her fingertips touched his arm, he completely disappeared.

_'BEHIND!'_ She reacted by swinging her hands to his new location. Again, right before touching him, he vanished for an instant before appearing again in her near-360 degree view. _'__What is going on? He shouldn't be disappearing from my sight when I can see all around me. I should be able to keep up with his speed.'_

Hanabi dropped into a more defensive stance. _'__Maybe he's just moving that fast where I can't keep up. That would be insane.'_

"Naruto Uzumaki. You said you wouldn't use chakra!"

"I didn't use chakra."

"Don't lie! There is no way you can move that fast without applying chakra to your legs!"

Naruto smirked. "If you don't believe me, keep a careful eye on me Hanabi Hyūga."

She knew what was going happen next. Time started to slow down for her as Naruto stepped forward once again. Only thing different this time was she was paying more attention to his chakra paths. Not once did she see chakra flare in his legs as he rushed towards him.

_'_I_ can see him now, but I can't counter or dodge in time. Shit. Block!'_ Hanabi raised her hands up as fast as possible to meet the oncoming punch. She felt it strike, but with less power than she thought.

_'Tch!'_ Hanabi clicked her tongue as she flew back 20 feet before skidding to a stop. _'__He's taking this lightly! Dammit. How can I win?_'__ Hanabi thought for a moment before coming to a decision.

__'_I sure as hell can't win if I'm on the defense, so I will go on the offensive!_'__ Hanabi planted her feet firmly against the ground and poured chakra into her legs. She bolted off as fast as she could towards Naruto. _'__I can't afford to hold back if I want to win!_'__

Just as she was within striking range, she applied chakra to her fingertips once again, attempting turn off several of his tenketsu. She aimed for his arm, but he moved. She spun and aimed for his sides, he took a back step. She aimed for his shoulder, he turned sideways, easily dodging her thrusts.

Hanabi poured more chakra into her arms to improve her speed. She attacked again, giving no pause. She would strike, he would dodge. It repeated over and over for a solid 5 minutes. Hanabi's arms swinging at blinding speeds and spinning her body to position herself for the next strike. Always attack, but never landing hits.

__'_DAMMIT! How can he just dodge so effortlessly! He waits until the last possible moment, right when I think I might land one, and moves just out of reach! He's starting to piss me off!_'__

Naruto was standing just outside of her reach, scratching his face, waiting for her next move. _'__All I've seen her use is her clan's attack. She has potential, but she's being held back by not broadening her horizon and using different moves and techniques._'__

"You said you won't use chakra correct?"

"We just talked about this Hanabi, weren't you listening?"

"So if I can get you to use chakra, even a little, I win?"

__'_I guess that would be a bit more fair for her. She's been trying really hard, and I can always take another handicap._'__ Naruto smirked. "Yes. You will win. I'll even give you a free attack right now." Naruto pounded on his chest. "Hit me with your best shot."

Without any pause, she moved in as fast as possible. _'__Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four palms!_'__

"Two Palms!" She tapped the guy twice, setting off the famous combo attack of the Hyūga clan.

__'_Four Palms!_'__ Quickly afterwards, Hanabi spun circularly and tapped him twice again.

___'__Eight Palms!__'__ _Hanabi spun a full 360, striking Naruto in four different spots this time.

___'__Sixteen Palms!__'___ Hanabi jabbed eight times now, continuing the combo to sixteen hits.

___'__Thirty-Two Palms!__'___ Hanabi cried out in her mind, keeping track of how many times she hit him so far. Hanabi arms whipped around striking chakra points throughout his body. Hanabi finally placed her right palm on his stomach and blasted him with all the chakra she could muster at once.

"SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!" Hanabi called out as Naruto skidding back ten feet.

Naruto stood there blankly. __'___Good. Almost as good as Neji's when he was in his prime."_ Naruto smiled gently as he was reminded of one of his dearly missed friends. _"If he was around, he could push her to even higher heights.__'___

Hanabi saw the happiest, yet saddest smile on Naruto's face. She never knew someone could make such an expression.

"Na-Naruto Uzumaki? Are you ok?"

Naruto chuckled before responding. "Yeah. I'm ok." He knew she wasn't asking if he was ok from her attack. "You reminded me of Neji there."

Naruto looked right as Hanabi. "Were you there for our Chūnin Exam 9 years ago? When we fought each other specifically?"

"Yes. I was."

"You knew he used the same move against me right?"

"Yes, but I never used my Byakugan to verified if it turned off your chakra. I just assumed it did."

"Do you remember what happened afterwards?"

Hanabi's expression changed greatly. She remembered that after Neji hit Naruto with the same attack, he was able to still use chakra. She didn't know how he did that the, but now… __'___Dammit! How could I forget! I mean, it was 9 years ago, but how could I forget something so critical!__'___

Naruto smirked as he knew that she realized that what she just did was utterly useless. "When it comes to us Jinchuriki, we are the bane of your clan's attacks. For we have not just 1, but 2 sources of chakra."

"We can use the chakra of the tailed beasts within us even if you turn off our chakra points." He grinned as he mustered up just an ounce of the Kyūbi's chakra to forcefully open his chakra points again.

Hanabi took a half-step back in reaction to the sinister chakra that was pouring out of Naruto. She saw it spread through his body, opening all the paths again with easy. __'___Now that I've seen it, I can see how Neji lost to him.__'___

Suddenly, Hanabi's face light up and her lips curled into a grin. "I win Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto froze in place. __'___What does she mean she won? Doesn't sound like a bluff, so why is she saying she won?__'___

As if she was reading his mind, she gave him the answer to his question. "You used chakra. Specifically, your demon's chakra."

"Hey, that doesn't count! I didn't-"

"Yes you did! You used the chakra to unlock your chakra points! Demon chakra or your chakra, chakra is chakra and you used it!" Hanabi proclaimed proudly.

_**'****HAHAHAHAHA! Beaten by a little girl! How the mighty has fallen!'**_

___'__Shut up furball!__'___ Naruto promptly sat on the ground fuming to himself. __'___How did I fall for that! Dammit! Why did I do something so stupid! I even said I wouldn't use chakra!__'___

"Fine, fine. You win." Naruto sighed heavily as he was disappointed that he lost in such silly way. "Feel better now?"

Hanabi beamed. "Yes. Thank you helping me relieving me of my frustrations."

Naruto decided he has pouted enough and stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes. "Ask for help and you shall find it."

"Naruto…" Hanabi called out his name softly. "As the winner, do I get a prize?"

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he shock his head to the side in pure disbelief. "Sure. 1 thing and only one thing."

Hanabi was shocked. She didn't really expect to him to give her anything, since she was the one who asked him to fight her. She mulled over what she could ask him, and while several ideas flashed before and all seemed tempting to use, she ultimately decided to use the best one.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Hanabi called out his name.

Catching his attention, he looked up in response to his name being called so firmly.

"Please, teach me how to be stronger, like you."

He saw the determination in her eyes. The same determination he had, so he knew not to make light of it. __'___I am a Jōnin, so I should take at least 1 disciple. I have to get permission first.__'___

"I will only teach you if you are my disciple. Understood?"

Hanabi nodded firmly.

"I'll have to ask for permission. You'll have your answer tomorrow."

The light in Hanabi's eyes shined brightly. She was going to be taught by the strongest of the village.

Naruto saw her delightful expression, but he knew it wouldn't be so easy for him to get a disciple. Tsunade would be against it, be he could persuade her. The village elders on the other hand… He didn't even want to think about them.

He also knew the Hyūga Clan would have a field day with this. They would either see this as a great opportunity to bolster their strength, or be completely against it because of what he was. He wouldn't know which path they will take since he never talked at lengths with the clan's elders or their Head, Hiashi Hyūga.

Either way, he would do his best because it was the right thing to do. A promise is a promise, and he will keep to it as best as he can. It's the least he could do.

"Alright. That's enough for the night. Go ahead and head home. I'll find you tomorrow and tell you whether I have permission or not."

Hanabi bowed and said thanks before taking off towards her compound.

Watching her figure retreat into the distance, Naruto sighed heavily again. __'___What did I just get myself into?__'___

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Naruto's shirt pretty much has the same pattern as the hoodie in the link, but black where it's green, and orange where it's black. Reminder, the sleeves cut-off at the elbows. Also, instead of the Hyrulian Emblem, it has the emblem of the Uzumaki clan (red swirly circle). www . gamer-heaven the-legend-of-zelda-green-black-crest-official-hoodie /

Hope that helps with getting the visual across. Not all the good at describing things.

I'm also pleased with the length of this chapter. It took me 2 days to fully write it all. I had writer's block the past 2 days and been chipping away at it slowly. It's not so easy for me to write chapters as it was years ago, mainly because I really want to make sure not to screw this one up. I have to tread carefully to make sure I don't wing it with just my muse and end up going in a direction I don't want to.

Hope you all liked this!

* * *

Replies to Chapter 1 Reviews

Ryuujin96: Thank you. Happy to have one of my old fans reviewing my reboot and liking it. I hope you continue to enjoy this one.

9tailsfox2: Sent you a message with the links and attachment with text documents. For others that might want to read it, here you go.

Chapter 1: goo . gl / dSfIMO

Chapter 2: goo . gl / bKOnUO

Chapter 3: Can't find

Chapter 4: Can't find

Chapter 5: goo . gl / Yj1VC9

Kyid: Yes, this pairing is very different. Very odd. Sadly the series that became in inspiration for this couple, for me at least, is no longer on FF. I have found _some_ copies of _some_ chapters, but not all sadly. Nonetheless, even if it's odd, some people like it, like myself.

Strife666: Happy you find the story interesting.

* * *

**Edits**

22APR14: Silly mean, I posted bad links to the Ice Princess chapters. Still looking for the other 2 chapters. No where to find sadly.

27APR14: Added a response to Kyid's review.

27APR14: Replaced all words of Hyuga and Kyubi with Hyūga and Kyūbi.

30APR14: Rating changed to M due to content of Chapter 6.

02MAY14: Some changes here and there. Nothing major at all. Just small improvements some might not even notice.

05MAY14: Replaced Jonin with Jōnin and Chunin with Chūnin.

11MAY14: Changed section at the top stating when the chapter was posted and when it was last updated. Added in a response to Strife666's review.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

* * *

\- Chapter 2 -

\- COMPLETE -


	3. Compromise

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter posted 05APR14 -

\- Last updated 13MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _w__hispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An **emphasis on a word** in thought.'_

**_"Bijū or the sort speaking."_**

_**'Bijū or the sort thinking.'**_

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bij**ū's sound effect or action of some effect.*****

**Title.**

**Sections.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

Last chapter was hard. Mainly due to Hanabi. It was tough trying to figure out what her character would be like. I mean, REALLY tough. She doesn't have set-in-stone one. She appeared a handful of times in anime/manga and even then, very briefly. Nonetheless, even with those few appearances, she still has some sort of personality to her and I don't want to go messing it up.

It was also particularly tough for me to figure out how to get her to interact with Naruto without her being OOC. Just heads up. She has no romantic feelings right now towards him. She was pissed, she knew he was strong, so she saw him as a target to take her frustrations out. Simply that.

Experiencing how strong he was first hand, she was also impressed and saw that he would be the best for her to learn from him. She knows she can poke his brain for techniques, ways to get stronger, and learn from his personal experience, hence why she wanted him to teach her. Simply because he's strong and more knowledge than her.

That is their current relationship. It will grow from this, to mutual appreciation, and then towards stronger feelings being kindled between them, before any romance. There will be hints here and there throughout before it becomes set in stone, so don't worry, but I don't want to take the relation too far too fast.

Also, thank you for those who left reviews. it really encourages me the more I see. I check the statistics of this FF on a daily basis and see if I have any more reviews.

* * *

**Previous Chapter**

Naruto saw her delightful expression, but he knew it wouldn't be so easy for him to get a disciple. Tsunade would be against it, be he could persuade her. The village elders on the other hand… He didn't even want to think about them.

He also knew the Hyūga Clan would have a field day with this. They would either see this as a great opportunity to bolster their strength, or be completely against it because of what he was. He wouldn't know which path they will take since he never talked at lengths with the clan's elders or their Head, Hiashi Hyūga.

Either way, he would do his best because it was the right thing to do. A promise is a promise, and he will keep to it as best as he can. It's the least he could do.

"Alright. That's enough for the night. Go ahead and head home. I'll find you tomorrow and tell you whether I have permission or not."

Hanabi bowed and said thanks before taking off towards her compound.

Watching her figure retreat into the distance, Naruto sighed heavily again. _'What did I just get myself into?'_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Compromise**

「31st of March」

Naruto shifted around in his bed as the rays of the sun shined upon his face.

__'_Why does the window have to be right here… Sooo warm. Don't want to wake up…_'__ Naruto thought to himself as he pulled the sheets above his head even more.

*Knock knock*

__'_Ugh…_'__

*Knock knock*

"Go away…" Naruto replied drearily.

_*KNOCK KNOCK*_

___'__They won't go away will they.__'___ Naruto groaned as he sat up.

"Yes yes, one moment please." Naruto called out groggily as he shuffled his way to the door and opens it.

"Yee-" Naruto let out a yawn mid sentence. "eeees? Wh-" Naruto yawned once again. "aaat do you want?" Naruto replied with his eyes firmly shut.

"Morning Naruto. You might want to put pants on before answering the door." Shikamaru replied with a dead-panned voice.

"Oh…" Naruto swiftly shut the door and all Shikamaru could here is a different varieties of sounds before the door opened again. "Got pants."

"You forgot the shirt."

Naruto clicked his tongue, closed the door, and made several different sounds again.

"AND BOOTS! DON'T FORGET BOOTS!" Shikamaru called out in time, which led to even more mysterious sounds echoing beyond the door.

"Ok. Why you wake me up so early?" Naruto questioned his friend as the door opens up once again.

"It's 11 in the morning Naruto. It's not early."

Naruto glanced at the clock, glanced outside, glanced at the clock again, did a double take and swore under his breath.

"Ugh. I gotta talk to Grandma."

"Well that works out. She wants to talk to you."

"Oh? You know why?"

"No, I don't, but she's pissed."

"Alright, thank you Shikamaru. Also, may I talk to you later?"

"Sure. I'm certain you can find me when you need to."

"Thanks Shikamaru!" Naruto called out happily has the shinobi left.

"Now I need to go see Tsunade." Naruto said out loud, speaking to no one in particular.

* * *

Naruto slowly ascended the spiraling stairs in the Hokage Tower before coming to a massive pair of wooden doors. He rapped his fists against the wooden doors, announcing his presence.

"Come in." Naruto heard from the other side.

He slowly pushed the doors open and walked in slowly. "You wanted to see me Hokage?"

"Yes. I heard a disturbing rumor about last night. Something along the lines of you fighting a 16 year old Hyūga girl!" Tsunade voiced aloud as she brought her fist down, slamming upon the desk, sending all the papers that were stacked high flying across the room.

"I-I had a good reason for that Hokage!" Naruto stuttered.

"Oh, so this rumor is true?!" Tsunade questioned as a vein bulged on her forehead.

"She was frustrated about something, and she asked if she could fight to relieve the tension. I saw no harm."

"Oh, so she asked you to fight her?"

"Yes."

" So _you_ weren't the one going around picking fights?"

"NO!"

"Dammit… Sorry Naruto. I'll have to talk to a few people later." Tsunade remaked with venom dripping from her words.

"Uh… Tsunade…" Naruto spoke, not sure if he should continue or not.

"Yes?"

"Speaking of the Hyūga girl, Hanabi Hyūga… She wanted to know if I could train her, so…"

"And you want to train her?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well I want to pass down my-"

"No, not why you want to train someone, but why do you want to train her, specifically."

"Because she asked." Naruto replied like as if it was common sense.

"Simply because she asked?" The female Hokage asked with a piercing gaze.

"Because she had the guts to challenge me, fight me, and then ask me. Why wouldn't I train someone like that?"

"Hmmm…" Tsunade sat there for a few moments. "Are you not happy with Konohamaru?"

"Konohamaru isn't my student. He isn't my disciple. He is my rival. I can't teach him everything I know."

Tsunade sat there in silence for a few moments. "You know when it comes to things about you, I have to talk to the Council of Elders."

"I know." Naruto sighed heavily.

"Knowing this, you still want to try."

"Yes. I can't turn away someone who comes to me for help. It wouldn't be the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do is it… I like that. I will talk to them. You have my approval on 2 conditions."

"What would those 2 conditions be Tsunade."

"First, if something comes up, and we need you, you are to drop everything. Regardless as to what may be happening."

"I understand that I'm a valuable asset to this village."

"Second, don't do anything dangerous without consulting me. I can't tell you how to be a teacher, but I can suggest what should be done, and how it needs to be done properly."

"Roger."

"Just please remember Naruto. She isn't like you. She doesn't have the same amount of chakra, stamina, or regenerating capabilities you have, so don't go crazy with the training."

"Understood Hokage." Naruto replied respectfully with a bow.

"Any other questions Naruto?"

"2." Naruto plainly stated in response to the simple question.

"What are they?"

"When do you think you can give me an answer if I can train her or not?"

"Maybe today, maybe next week. I have to have permission from the Hyūga Head, Hiashi Hyūga, which Hanabi Hyūga should be able to help me persuade him. The Elders… We will probably come to blows, but I think I can win them over, thought I can't tell how long that will be, honestly."

Naruto sighed heavily. __'___Afraid as much. Worse case, next week and the answer is no. Hanabi might not like this. I hope she will try to understand. It's only a week, but I have my faith in Tsunade.__'___

"For my other question. Am I able to start renovating the compound? With all the missions I've been doing for the past 4 years, I think I've saved up more than enough to spruce up the place."

"I don't see any problems with it, but again, I have to talk to the Elders. It is the home of the 4th Hokage, but you as the heir, they shouldn't be able to say no. Just keep me informed as to what you are going to do with the place once you get the green light."

"Thank you Tsunade. Do you have anything for me?"

Tsunade thought for a moment. __'___You know what. That might be more effective...__'___

Tusnade grinned as she looked at Naruto. "Make yourself available for dinner tonight. I'll try to get the important people together and we can discuss it as a group tonight over dinner. It will probably be most effective that way."

"You have any restaurant in place?"

"How about the Konoha Mai?" Tsunade grinned.

"Good choice. I'll invite the Hyūgas and you will get the Elders?"

"That's the plan. You need to start learning customs and traditions if you want to take my place. Can't have the Hokage being a complete slob, now can we Naruto. Maybe the little Hyūga will be able to help you with that."

Naruto hanged his head. "I don't want to, but I guess it's something I must learn. If that is all. I will be off."

Tsunade nodded, signalling that he was free. Naruto bowed polite and stepped out the room.

___'__I guess I should make some clones and study up on proper etiquette.__'___ Naruto thought to himself as he made 20 shadow clones.

"Head to the library. You know what you need to look for!" Naruto waved his arm and the 20 clones vanished without a trace. __'___Going to be an odd sight in the library again.__'___ Naruto chuckled as he walked off towards the general direction of the Hyūga compound.

* * *

Naruto walked up to the gate guards of the Hyūga compound.

"Is there anything I can help you with today Sage Naruto?" One of the Hyūga guards asked politely.

"May I seek an audience with Lord Hyūga Hiashi?"

"I'll ask. Please wait here for a moment Sage Naruto." One of the guards requested as he ran off towards the inner compound.

Naruto shifted his attention from retreating figure of the guard to the one still stationed at his post. "So, what's up? How is your day going?"

The guard was shocked that the sage would just drop all formalities and talked like a regular person. "Uh… It's going well Sage Naruto."

"Oh? Nice weather today, isn't it."

"It most certainly is, Sage Naruto."

"Ah. Don't be so nervous man. I'm just making idle chat to pass the time. You have any questions you want to ask?"

"If… If I may Sage Naruto. May I get an autograph? It's for my little niece. She really looks up to you as a role model."

"Ah! Certainly!" Naruto accepted a piece of paper from the guard and scribbled his signature and a little message to his fan.

"I'm happy to know I have a little fan. This will be my first autograph."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Be sure to tell her to treasure it!" Naruto beamed as he saw the other guard running back.

"Lord Hyūga said that you may speak to him when you are ready."

"Will you please lead the way?"

"Certainly Sage Naruto. Right this way."

Naruto swiftly followed behind the guard who lead him down a series of hallways and turns before coming to a door. Naruto bowed and thank the guard for guiding him and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

___'__Ok. Game time. Remember; Be respectful. Be calm. Be understanding. I can't talk to Hiashi like my friends.__'___ Naruto took a deep breath. "It is I, Naruto Uzumaki. I wish to speak to you Lord Hiashi."

"Come on in."

Naruto gently slid open the door. Hiashi motioned for Naruto to take a seat. "So what do I owe the pleasure of having you over, Sage Naruto?"

"I wish to invite both you and your youngest daughter, Hanabi Hyūga, to dinner at the Konoha Mai with the Hokage, the Elders, and myself."

"Oh? The Konoha Mai?" Hiashi raised his eyebrow in response to this invitation. "What is this invitation in response to?"

"This is for me to properly request permission to train your daughter, Hanabi Hyūga."

"And what made you decide to train my youngest daughter?" Hiashi peered at Naruto with a quizzing glance.

"Simply because she asked for me to teach her last night Lord Hiashi."

"Last night? What was Hanabi doing with you last night?"

"She bumped into me after I was eating and she asked for a friendly sparring match, to test her skills against mine to see how much more she must train to become stronger." Naruto stated, only giving the half truth. He knew Hiashi wouldn't be pleased if he knew the other half.

"Oh? And what does Sage Naruto thinks of her level of skill?"

"I do not know much about the Gentle Fist nor the Byakugan, but I do see potential in her. She requested for me to accept her as my disciple and I see no reason to deny her personally."

"If I do give permission, I do have some worries."

"What worries would that be."

"You teaching her would hinder her ability to perform the Gentle Fist arts at their peak. We are a very proud and noble clan based off of tradition. I do understand what you could bring to the table, but I also worry about what you would be taking off the table as well."

"I understand your worries. The Gentle Fist is an amazing fighting style, but, and I do mean no offense Lord Hiashi, it is not applicable to all situations. If given permission, I would train her to boost her skills in the Gentle Fist as I know, and to help cover areas she is weak to."

"I understand. We will talk more at dinner tonight Sage Naruto."

Naruto rose to his feet and bowed. "Thank you Lord Hiashi for considering. I will see you tonight at 6 PM."

Naruto stepped out, breathed deeply and lead his way out of the compound. __'___Damn that's nerve wracking. So tense in there. I don't think I'm cut out for this.__'___

* * *

Naruto made reservations at the Konoha Mai. He knew he wouldn't have a problem securing a table, due to his status, but when he said a clan head, the Hokage AND the Elders were to accompany him, he knew he easily secured the best table in the place.

He checked the time. _"Hm. Only 1 PM. Not bad. Plenty of time. I guess I should find Shikamaru now."_

Naruto jumped on top of the buildings and then on top of a post. He sat there and meditated for a moment, feeling the environment around him, gathering in the natural energy. He quickly entered into his Sage state and pushed outward, scanning the village in it's entirety. He searched until he found Shikamaru's chakra signature.

"_Got ya. Figured you would be there with the kids."_ With a grin, Naruto stood up and made his way to his friend's location.

Dashing halfway across the village, Naruto ended up at the Ninja Academy. _"Man, this brings back some memories!"_ Naruto whistled out loud. He walked around the school house.

"_They seem to be on break right now."_ Naruto thought to himself as he peered around the corner. He spotted Iruka and Shikamaru talking to each other. Naruto lightly rapped against the door to announce his presence.

"Hey Iruka-sensei! How have you been!" Naruto asked as he waved.

"I've been good Naruto. Glad to see you're back. Find anything good while seeing the world and doing missions?"

"Ran into a few tricky spots, but overall good. I haven't really found anything noteworthy during my travels. I did get to meet a lot of people, so that was good."

"So what brings you here?"

"Oh, I was searching for Shikamaru. Wanted to talk to him a bit."

"Ah, I see. Well, we're already done talking."

"Thank you Iruka-sensei! I'll catch up with you later!" Naruto motioned for Shikamaru to follow him out the door after he waved goodbye to Iruka, which Shikamaru followed.

"So what did you want to talk about Naruto?"

"I was just curious as to how my investments was doing."

"Going good. Thanks to you, the Konoha Mai opened up a few months back, though no one knows it's you. Also I distributed your earnings where I think they would help."

"That's good to know. All this stuff is above my head. Thank you for helping with this. I needed to make a bit more money than what I got from missions to fix up this compound."

"Are you ever going to fill me in on the details yet? I know you want to buy and fix up a compound, but you never told me which one?"

"Sorry Shikamaru. I would tell you if I could, but Tsunade made me swear not to tell anyone yet. I plan on talking to her and the Elders tonight though."

"Oh? What is going on tonight that you actually get to talk to both the Hokage and the Elders?"

"I want to take up a disciple."

"Oh god… I can just imagine it already. Another Naruto running around, leveling mountains…" Shikamaru replied as he mumbled under his breath about how it's going to be a major headache.

"Hey, hey! That was once!" Naruto proclaimed loudly.

"Once?!"

"Ok, ok… More than once…"

"Still… Don't you have Konohamaru?"

"Why does everyone think that? I do teach him, but I can't teach him everything. He's my rival."

"Hmmm… I see. Well, I'll keep watch over your investment, as long as the deal is still good. I'll deposit the earnings every month."

"Thank you Shikamaru! You are a real life saver! I have to go get ready now! Bye!" Naruto bellowed out happily as ran off.

Shikamaru waved happily has he saw his friend run off. _"I feel bad for this village already. Naruto, a teacher. Oh God… I wonder who is the unlucky victim. Meh. I'll find out in time."_

* * *

Several hour passed and Naruto jumped out the shower. _"Hmmm… I have to find something appropriate to wear. The Konoha Mai is a really nice restaurant. I'm sure they have a minimal dress code. Also, with who I'm dining with, I have to look sharp… UGH! Why does all this stuff have to be such a pain in the ass!"_ Naruto sighed heavily as he looked through his closet.

"_I know I have a suit in here. I remember my clones getting it cleaned. Oh, CLONES! I should dismiss them."_ Naruto formed a sign and dismissed all the clones, gaining all the knowledge they've collect on dining etiquette. _"Oh man… That's a lot of stuff to remember. Dammit. I didn't think it would be THAT complicated. Oh well, I'll wing it and try to be as formal as I can."_

Naruto finally found his standard black suit and white dress shirt. He started dressing up and trying to locate his dress shoes. Find the box, he opened it and was happy to see they were still polished from last time. _"One less thing to worry about."_

Naruto, fully dressed, headed outside. _"Time to go."_

* * *

Naruto showed up at the entrance of the Konoha Mai. The hostess recognized him from earlier and had a waiter show him to one of the alcoves built into the wall. It was fairly spacious and had a decently sized round table, more than enough room for all 6 people to sit. The waitress showed him the different spots of color-coded tags in the room, what they did, and how to activate them.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Sage Naruto?"

"I'll just have a glass of water until the rest of the party arrives."

"Certainly. It will be on it's way."

"Thank you very much!" Naruto beamed at the waitress as she left.

___'__30 minutes early. I'll just run through the menu and decide what I want in the mean time.__'___

As he looked through the menu, it had a bunch of weird names for their dishes. _"Shit. I forgot fancy places does this on their menu. I don't know any of these words! Ugh."_

"Here is your water." The young waitress gently placed a cup of ice water on a coaster in front of Naruto.

"Thank you very much." Naruto simply responded before going back to the menu. __'___At least they have descriptions. Lets see. Something about chicken. Something about beef. Sirloin. Tuna. Yellowtail. Lobster. Crab. Tofu. Miso Soup. Ugh… I don't see anything about ramen…__'___

*Cough*

Naruto tilted his head up and noticed Hiashi Hyūga in a black suit and tie, much like his own, and Hanabi Hyūga in a simple white dress that cling to her body in the right places. __'___Can't deny she's beautiful.__'___

Naruto swiftly stood up, place his left hand across his waist, bowed, and motioned with his right hand. "Please, be seated Hiashi Hyūga and Hanabi Hyūga."

Hiashi smirked lightly as Naruto's gesture. _'Quite odd seeing him act so proper. There may just be hope when he becomes Hokage.'_

Hanabi paced her way around the table and sat to Naruto's right, with Hiashi sitting to her right.

"Thank you both for coming. The Hokage and the Elders should be arriving shortly."

"Do you know where they are?" Hiashi questioned.

Naruto glanced at Hiashi before closing his eyes, keeping still. A moment later, his orange sage marks begun appearing around his eyes. "They are roughly a minute away."

"So you can sense where everyone is in sage mode?"

"Yes. I can feel everything. Not just living people, but the wild life, the bugs, even the land. I can feel every crack and crevice when I'm in this mode."

"Wow." Hanabi chimed in. "Sounds a lot to take in."

"It's part of being a Sage. You become one with the environment around you."

"You talking about Sage mode, Naruto?" Tsunade asked as she only heard the end of the conversation.

Naruto quickly stood up and bowed. "Welcome Hokage, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatne. And yes, I was describing the feeling I receive when entering my Sage state." Naruto remarked as he discharged the Nature energy from him, exiting out of the Sage mode.

Tsunade made her way around the room and sat to the left of Naruto. The Elders quickly followed and sat next to the Hokage.

Without even missing a beat, the waitress walked in, asking what everyone wanted to drink. All 6 ordered for water. The waitress, after jotting down the simple order, promptly left.

"Alright." Naruto being the first to start off the conversation. "I want to thank each and all of you for showing up tonight with such short notice. I gathered all members here today to talk about the 1st of 2 topics."

"2 topics?" Hiashi chimmed in.

"Yes. The first topic will involve the Hyūga clan. The other topic I wish to discuss with the Hokage and the Elders, which you are more than welcome to stay if you wish. I am, by no means, going to ask you to leave, as I have no issues letting others know."

The elders glanced at each other with a mysterious expression before looking back at Naruto.

"Well, before we delve any further into this discussion, how about we take a look at the menu and decide what we will eat?" Naruto suggested as he opened his own menu.

___'__Is this really the knuckle-head Ninja I know? He seems to be taking this seriously. I would've expected him to get straight to the point without any hesitation and try to wrap this up as soon as possible.__'___ Tsunade thought to herself as she peered through the menu. __'___I guess he really has matured even more over the past 4 years since the conclusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War. A little sad to see the kid grow up.__'___

Several minutes passed by and the waitress walked into the room with multiple glasses of water on a tray. "Has everyone decided what to order?"

Receiving a resounding yes, she started going from left to right. The female elder, Koharu Utatane, order Yellowtail Rolls. Homura Mitokado ordered the Hamachi Teriyaki with Yuzu Kosho. Both Elders wanted green tea with their food. Tsunade asked for Chirashi Sushi with the best sake in the house. She glanced at Naruto and he knew exactly what that meant.

___'__Oh man, don't tell me… It's going to be a horrible night.__'___ Naruto shifted a little in his seat before ordering the Miso Soup with Mussels. Hanabi ordered the Miso Glazed Black Cod with Sauteed Broccoli. Hiashi ordered Tofu with Crab Sauce. Both Hyūga ordered wine.

The waitress quickly wrote all the orders down, turned on her heel and walked out the room.

"All right, now that's we've ordered our dinner, may we begin?" Naruto glanced around the room, waiting on nods from the other 5 people. Naruto place his hand on a green paper seal behind him and poured a small amount of chakra into it, activating the seal's jutsu.

"What is that for?"

"It's a seal that creates a sound barrier so no one can overhear us. The hostess was thoughtful enough to give us a room with these tags in them." Naruto briefly explained before changing topics.

"Ok. First and foremost, I thank you all for showing up. I wish to properly request permission to train Hanabi Hyūga."

"And why would you want to train this Hyūga child?" Koharu asked as she stared at Naruto.

"Because she asked me to and I have no reason to turn her down."

"And pray tell," Homura spoke up. "What led to this young Hyūga girl to seek out you to be her teacher?"

"May I answer this question?" Hanabi asked, politely interrupting. After receiving a nod from Homura, she continued. "It would be because after fighting him last night, I learned that I can truly learn a lot and improve myself if I was under his tutelage. Not only his strength, but his tactics showed me that he isn't just insanely strong, even while holding himself back, but very smart."

The elders glanced between each other before turning back to Naruto. "Sorry, but you won't have our backing. You are a great asset to the village. What will you do if we need you to do something immediate and you are in the middle of training?"

"As I told the Hokage, I would drop everything if the village needs me to a mission."

Elders glanced between each other a sighed heavily. "We didn't want to bring this up, but apparently you don't realize the position you are in Naruto Uzumaki. What will happen if your seal weakens again. Do you want to expose this Hyūga girl to that danger? This is why we send you on missions by yourself. If the seal weakens or breaks, no one in this village can hold you down or mend the seal."

"It won't happen." Naruto mentioned off-offhandedly as if it was a simple fact.

"And how can you be so sure?! The 4th Hokage placed that seal on you and it broke once before!"

"Because even if the seal weakens, nothing will happen."

"NOTHING WILL HAPPEN?! FOOL, YOU FORGET THAT THERE IS A MONSTROUS DEMON INSIDE OF YOU!?" Mitokado raised his voice, completely appalled that the man before him didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation.

"No Elder Mitokado." Naruto's gaze darkens as he sent a spiteful glare towards the elder. "After 21 years, I have not forgotten that there is a demon sealed away inside of me since I was born. Kurama poses no threat anymore."

"No threat?! That demon nearly destroyed the ENTIRE village in a single attack!"

"That was because Kurama was under control of Madara Uchiha that night."

"Wait... Naruto, this Kurama, is that-?" Hanabi asked with curiosity glistening in her eyes.

"Yes Hanabi," Hiashi answered Hanabi's unspoken question. "Kurama is the name of the 9 Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside of him."

"I-I didn't know that it had a name." Hanabi replied in awe.

"Most people don't. Kurama," Naruto responded. "is just like us. The demons has feelings." Naruto turned his gaze to the elders. "They don't like being a weapon of war. If attacked by us, they will strike back. If used by us, they will turn on us. Some older people thought we needed to use them, rather than understand them." Naruto remarked with venom dripping from his words.

"That is why the demons don't like us ninjas. Because we only view them as monsters or weapons. No one has tried getting to know them. No one has tried to be their friend. All the Leaf Village has done was used people from my clan as containers to house the demon."

"Naruto. That's going too far." Tsunade raised her hand to quell the anger inside of him. "The Uzumaki were great friends of the Senju, my clan. I understand your fury, but that is neither here nor there, so lets leave that topic for another time."

"As for you Elders," Tsunade turned her head towards Homura and Koharu. "Don't forget you don't have the final say on this matter, I do. Do you really think Naruto doesn't have control over the Kyūbi? You do know how he used it in the fight against Madara at the end of the war. Do you still not trust him because you only view him as container?"

"It's not that I don't trust him, or that I only view him as a container, it's just that I worry for the worst possibility. If, for some reason, another organization like the Akatsuki came about and started stealing demons again, it would be devastating. I'm just worried for what might happen." The male elder replied solemnly. He was truly afraid to how close the Akatsuki, or Madara specifically, came close to destroying the world.

"Before we go any further, what do you think about Hanabi seeking Naruto as a teacher."

"I must admit, I am afraid. Afraid he will teach her a technique to level a mountain." Hiashi lightly chuckled at his own joke. "But in all seriousness. I am worried that under her tutelage, she would lose her current proficiency with our taijutsu, the Gentle Fist. Even so, I can not rightfully deny the Sage. I will trust him with Hanabi's training, as long as I get to to check in every once in a while and offer advice."

"That is fine with me Lord Hiashi. It would be most appreciated since I do not fully understand the Byakugan nor the Gentle Fist taijutsu. Thank you for giving me a chance at having a student."

"All in favor of Naruto Uzumaki teaching Hanabi Hyūga?" Tsunade was the first to raise her hand, followed by both Hyūga members and Naruto.

"Alright. It looks like Naruto has a student." Tsunade grinned happily as she lowered her hand.

The waitress came in just as they reached a conclusion, her hands and arms carrying plates of food. She distributed the food and drinks out and quickly left the room.

Naruto picked up his utensils and motioned for everyone to begin eating. He glanced at Hanabi, who was staring at him, smiling. Naruto closed his eyes and gave his biggest grin, giving a thumbs up.

He turned to his miso soup. It smelt heavenly to him. ___'____Let's hope it tastes as good as it smells!___'____

Moments passed by and everyone finished their meal. "I guess it's now time to move to the second topic. Tsunade." Naruto turned his entire body and faced towards the Hokage. "I think it's time I finally receive what is entitled to me."

"You mean the compound owned by your mother and father?"

"Naruto, you do know why we haven't given it to you correct?" Koharu chimed in.

"It was because of the 3rd Hokage, correct?"

"Yes. He decreed that after you were sealed with the Kyūbi, that all information regarding you were to be kept a secret, including you being a jinchūriki."

"Well, the whole village already knows what I am. I think it's time for the village to know who I am."

"What do you mean Naruto?" Hanabi asked, with a confused look on her face.

"Hanabi. We can't tell you until the decree has been lifted." Hiashi Hyūga warned.

"Can't the Hokage just lift it?" Hanabi asked.

"Not this decree. This was made by both the 3rd Hokage and the Elders." Hanabi's father answered his daughter's question. "With the 3rd Hokage being dead, between the current Hokage and the 2 Elders, 2 of 3 must agree. While Lady Tsunade had the right to decide if Naruto should teach you or not, she still sought the advice of the elders. Which means-"

"When it comes to me, the Elders is always informed." Naruto chimed in, further supplementing his explanation . "That is one of the restrictions placed on me upon becoming a jinchūriki for the village. While the matter of me being your teacher is important, it is trifling compared to this discussion. So please wait, and I'll answer all of your questions at the end to the best of my ability."

Naruto cleared his throat. "My point is that with the whole village knowing what I am, shouldn't it be time the village know what truly happened 21 years ago?"

The elders sighed heavily. "You do understand why we had the decree made, correct? It was to make sure to give you as close to a normal childhood as we could."

Naruto scoffed loudly.

"Please, understand." Utatane pleaded. "We know your childhood was by no means paradise, but if it wasn't for that, you probably wouldn't even be here. The village didn't care whose lineage you came from. All they saw was a monster in disguise. We could not keep that generation from hating you, but we did our best to keep the next generation, your generation, as normal as we can so that you may make some friends."

"Sadly, we didn't think the parents of your generation should try to pass down their hatred to their kids. By the time we found it, it was already too late. They made their children come to scorn you for unjust reason, and we couldn't undo that. For that, we failed your parents."

"I do have to agree with Naruto Uzumaki." Utatane remarked. "Everyone knows what he is. The point of the 3rd's creed was to prevent that from happening. Since the village already knows, I don't see any harm regarding the village members who didn't know before who his parents are. My question for you Naruto is this. Who's name will you take?"

"I… I don't know yet. That is something I need more time to think about."

"When you decide, we will tell the village then. You can tell those who you want. Some of them probably already know, but we will still inform the village as a whole when you decided on your family's name."

"Thank you Elder Utatane."

"As for you having your compound, you can move in when you want. Just… Be discreet until the whole village knows about you."

"I will. Thank you again."

"If that is all for this discussion, we will take our leave for the night."

Both Elders stood up, but Naruto quickly raised his hands. "By the way, as the host, let me take care of the payment. It's the least I can do to say thank you for fulfilling my selfish requests."

Both the elders glanced at Naruto and smiled. "You are welcome. It's the least we can do for you."

"Utatane and Mitokado. Thank you for everything."

"No problem child. As long as you understand why we did what we did, that is good enough. And we are sorry. We only wish we could do more for you." With that, the elders walked out.

Tsunade turned and patted Naruto on the back. "Congratulations kid!" Tsunade thrusted a cup into Naruto's hand, filled it up and raised her. "A toast!"

____'___Oh shit.___'____ Naruto sighed heavily. He knew this wasn't going to be good. He raised his cup with Tsunade and drank the sake with her.

30 minutes passed since Tsunade first began drinking with Naruto. They've gone through to full bottles and desserts just arrived. Hiashii was impressed with Naruto's ability to hold his liquor. He experience first him as to how how Tsunade could drink, and how no one could beat her in a drinking contest, but for Naruto to hold his own, was impressive.

"Sheeesh Naruto! I thought you told me you almost never drink!" Tsunade complained as she emptied the last of the second sake bottle.

"I don't."

"Ah, using your restorative powers to get the advantage huh!?"

"Just like you using your healing chakra!" Naruto called out, revealing her secret.

"Damn. You caught me." Tsunade finished off the cup and stood up. "I guess we should call it quits. Mind walking me back Hiashi? Give Naruto and his student some time alone?"

Hiashi stared at Tsunade for a moment and knew he wasn't given a choice. He hanged his head and stood up. He looked at the blonde-spiked shinobi. "Please do return her at a respectable time, Sage Naruto."

"Will do Lord Hyūga!". With that, Naruto watched as Tsunade and Hiashi walked out the restaurant.

Naruto glanced over and noticed Hanabi eating a dish that looked particularly sweet. "Hanabi, what is that?"

"Never had it before? It's called a Yuzu Creme Brulee."

"A what?"

"Just try it!" Hanabi suggested as she shifted her little bowl over.

Naruto used one of his own spoons to dig into the bowl and take a spoonful of the desert. ___'____Not much of a sweets guy, but the citrus taste is nice.___'____ Naruto thought to himself as he swallowed the creme brulee.

"Not bad." Naruto glanced back and Hanabi was already finishing it off. ___'____Damn. I think she has a craving for sweet things.___'____

Naruto stood up and offered his hand to Hanabi. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

Hanabi nodded and took his hand, helping herself to her feet. She trailed behind Naruto as he paid for everyone's meal up front. She swore she saw him sweat a little bit, and even sighed heavily, but she didn't worry too much about it. She was happy she was able to have a creme brulee again. ___'____Can't remember I had something so sweet. And the citrus taste makes it even better!___'____

Naruto and Hanabi stepped outside, immediately catching everyone's attention, though they tried to hide it as best they could.

"Hey Naruto, I got a few questions to ask youuuuuuu-!"

A sudden cold burst of wind blew through the street, sweeping past Naruto and Hanabi. Being in a simple white dress with no sleeves, the wind sent shivers up her shoulders and spine as her teeth chattered for a moment. ___'____Damn that was cold!___'____

Naruto glanced down and notice Hanabi shudder for just a moment. ___'____Ah. She didn't bring a jacket. Guess there is only 1 thing to do.___'____ Naruto pulled off his jacket and swung it around, placing it gently over herself. "I'll answer your questions shortly, just hold on tight."

Hanabi glanced up with a quizzical expression. She stepped in closer to Naruto, feeling the warmth radiating off of him. ___'____Very kind of him to lend me his jacket. Stupid of me to forget mine, but very gentleman-like of him.___'____

Naruto wrapped one of his arms around her, bringing her even closer. This caught even more attention. Surely everyone on the street was thinking the same thing on their mind, but neither of them paid any heed.

____'___Wh-Why is he putting his arm around me?!___'____ Hanabi thought erratically for a moment before looking to Naruto's face. It showed no hint of romance. His face stiff and his eyes steeled.

*Click. Click*

Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated lightly. Hanabi felt a strange force upon her and in a blink of an eye, they vanished from everyone's sight.

* * *

Without a flash or sound, both of them appeared on top of a rocky surface.

"N-Naruto? Where are we?"

"My favorite place in the whole town." Naruto replied as he released his arm from her and sat down.

Hanabi peered around and notice she was now looking down at the village. She saw all the lights in the sky and the lights of the town below her. She saw nature surround the village and was breath-taken by the view. She knew she was away from rest of the villagers and she knew why. Here, they could talk in peace.

"Naruto, can you tell me about who you are?"

"You mean what I was talking about at dinner?"

Hanabi nodded slowly.

Naruto chuckled lightly and motioned for her to sit down beside him.

Hanabi sat down next to Naruto and clenched his jacket closer together, keeping it firmly wrapped around her. ___'____I can still feel the heat. It's warm.___'____ She took a deep breath. ___'____And smells nice.___'____ She thought to herself as she buried her face into the jacket to shield against the wind.

"I'm an Uzumaki, as indicated by my last name. My clan was from the Hidden Village located in the Land of Whirlpools. We are distant relatives to the Senju clan which the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Hokages are related to. My clan was known and feared for their sealing jutsu. Our fūinjutsu was rough, but powerful."

Naruto took a deep breath and continued on in the story. "The Senju formed a relation with the Uzumaki upon the foundation of us being distant relatives. They would help us, and we would send members to be containers to them. My mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was brought to this village to be raised as a ninja and become the demon container."

"My clan has not only a lot of chakra, but also very strong chakra. It what made us the ideal containers, as our chakra had the ability to bind even the tailed beasts in place. But that's all we were to them."

Naruto sighed again before continuing on with his story. "As for my father, he grew up here, in this village. He became a stunning shinobi, a legendary hero among the people of this village. A genius born once a generation they called him."

"Who was he?"

"The very person who we are sitting upon right now."

Hanabi thought for a moment. She knew she was on the mountain with the Hokage faces. That's when it dawned for her. _'__No way… 1.. 2.. 3.. This must be 4… and 5 over there._'__ Hanabi looked to Naruto with awe. "You're the son of the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze! Konoha's Yellow Flash! And you've just used his technique to get up here!" She felt hit slapping herself. Completely appalled not to notice something that was so obvious. He looked just like him. Even used his jutsu.

"Yes, indeed." Naruto spoke in confirmation.

"No wonder you are so strong." Hanabi said breathlessly, as if everything started to make sense.

"That is where you are wrong Hanabi."

"What do you mean?" Hanabi asked, confused to his statement.

Naruto sighed heavily. "I have no natural talent. I have no blood-line trait. I wasn't born a prodigy. I wasn't born as a genius. Both my parents were talented, but I inherited nothing special from them other than my determination. My only talents is that trough sheer work and dedication, I can get where I need to be."

Hanabi stared down, understanding how tactful she just was. ____'_____I'm a terrible person aren't I… I just took all of his hard work dedication and chalked it up to his genes.____'_____

"Don't feel too bad Hanabi. I'm strong because I'm a jinchūriki. Because I had people patient enough to explain things to me. To help me and guide me through my training. Without any of those people, I wouldn't be nearly as strong as I am now. And that's what I want to be for you Hanabi."

Hanabi glanced up, seeing that trademark grin on her teachers face.

"I want to be that beacon of light for you. To guide you to where you need to go to become even stronger."

"I knew I was right to pick you."

"You may say that now, but you will regret it tomorrow." Naruto hinted heavily.

Hanabi felt all the warmth leave her at the statement. _'__I don't expect it to be easy, but don't say that already!_'__

Hanabi cleared her mind and asked another question. "So that compound you want, I take it belonged to the Namikaze clan?"

"Yes. I want to fix it up. Must be pretty bad after sitting there for 20 years with no one taking care of it. If I can find someone, I'll settle down and have a family there."

"What? You already have someone in mind?" Hanabi replied with humor, teasing her sensei.

"No. Haven't found the right one yet."

_'Oh… I feel like a bitch now._'__ Hanabi sighed heavily.

"You needn't worry Hanabi." Naruto replied like as if he could read her mind. "It's all within due time. I just have to be patient and wait to find the one who will love me for who I am."

Naruto stood back up and stretched. "I think it's time I take you back to your home. I don't want your father pissed off at me from day one." Naruto laughed as he reached out his hand.

Hanabi smiled sweetly as she took his hand. Once again, he motioned for her to get close. She stepped in closer as Naruto wrapped his arm around her.

* * *

Next thing she knew, she was in front of the Hyūga compound, with the guards were on alert.

Naruto waved both hands out in front of him towards the guards. "Relax, relax guys. It's me Naruto. Just returning Hanabi Hyūga from our dinner with her father, the Hokage, and the Elders."

Both guards lowered their weapons and resumed guarding the gate.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight Hanabi. I'll see you tomorrow, ok!"

"Ok. What time?"

"I don't know. Lets say 8. I'll come by to pick you up."

"Sounds good. Can't wait for the training session! Night Naruto.

"Night." Naruto called back one last time before disappear. With a grin on her face, she walked back to her room.

When she closed the door behind her, she kicked off her heels, took off her dress and crawled into the bed. Feeling a little bit cold. She grabbed Naruto's suit jacket, clenched it close to her, and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Dear lord. This is a loooong chapter. As for Hanabi's outfit. Just think if it like a summer dress. Shoulder straps, no sleeves, white, you know. Kinda like the cover picture to this story.

Also, I added in just a hint of romance, kinda sorta, to this chapter. It's pretty much one-sided right now. She's starting to like him, but doesn't realize it yet. I mean, everyone likes him, being the hero of the 5 nations and all.

Also, there was a lot of talking too. Like. Wow. Even I wasn't expecting that much lol. I also had difficulty coming up with proper characters for the 2 elders. I don't want it to seem like they are heartless when it comes to Naruto, and they are just there to be obstacles, but rather they see all the negatives. All the worst-case scenarios that people don't like to think of.

Since they see this all the time, they can't help but be wary and a bit over dramatic when it comes to him, because, well. He houses the strongest of the tailed beasts inside of him, and they doubt anyone else around could take that beast on if it got out and Naruto died.

Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter. Tons of words, not much stuff. Like. all these pages just to cover 1 day, and a few events. And took a few days to write as well. Ugh.

Don't forget, read and review! If you see any typos, let me know! I'll fix it asap!

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**Replies to Chapter 2 Reviews**

warrof: You are right to worry. Most of these don't get finished. especially when it comes to me. But that was years ago and I've been busy being in the Navy and all. I'm still in the Navy, but I'm having a down time right now for the next few months.

Ryuujin96: I'm happy you liked the chapter and how they met. It was tough trying to portray the characters how I wanted, but I'm happy that are satisfied with my result. Hanabi was a particularly difficult one, as you would know if you read the very top of this fanfic, where I complained about Hanabi being the hardest character for me to write.

9tailsfox2: I did tackle this completely differently. I muse is keep saying go here, and I'm just "NOPE". lol. I found out that if you just go with your muse and not think about it, or how to change it, you're story is going to go too fast, because you can't type fast enough or detailed enough to give all the information from your muse.

Also, you tend to leave out a ton of detail that you see in your muse, but just don't type out. It's really really hard to use just the raw muse for writing. I figured that out the hard way. I still use a bit of raw muse here and there in this chapter, as some of you might've noticed, but I hope it's not too bad.

Plasma57: Poor Hanabi? Because of her clan elders? If that's the case, then yeah. Being in a prestigious clan is not easy. In fact, it's only going to get harder.

Troy123: Thank you for leaving a review. Happy to know you like it! I'll be sure to continue with this story.

Twiya: Happy you liked it!

DeathCrawler: Sorry to hear that. Thank you for your input nonetheless! I'll keep your thoughts in mind.

Strife666: Thank you.

* * *

**Edits**

05APR14: Corrected typo pointed out by warrof. Thank you very much.

22APR14: Responded a review from Twiya.

27APR14: Added in a response to DeathCrawler's review.

27APR14: Replaced all words of Hyuga and Kyubi with Hyūga and Kyūbi.

30APR14: Rating changed to M due to content of Chapter 6.

02MAY14: Small changes and improvements here and there. Spruced up some of the dialogue. Still working on finalizing it, but that will come in time.

11MAY14: Changed section at the top stating when the chapter was posted and when it was last updated, and a typo was corrected. Added in a response to Strife666's review.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

13MAY14: Small confliction Minders pointed out to me regarding the "King". Fixed it!

* * *

\- Chapter 3 -

\- COMPLETE -


	4. The Basics of Chakra

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter posted 13APR14 -

\- Last updated 12MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _w__hispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An **emphasis on a word** in thought.'_

**_"Bijū or the sort speaking."_**

**_'Bijū_ or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bij**ū's sound effect or action of some effect.*****

**Title.**

**Sections.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

Hey guys. Been a few days. Wanted to take a break. My older sister flew out to Cali with her bf for a business trip and I decided to go visit them. Had a good time seeing them. I'm also now in a specialized school to learn some specific knowledge before I'm transferred over to Japan, so I may not have as much free time as I did with the first 3 chapters, but, I foresee no issues with working on the chapters and loading them.

Also, I stumbled across another FF called The Price of Peace. Finished it, though it was incomplete, sadly. I notice that my descriptions when it comes to dialogues are a bit… Plain… In comparison to these FF. I lost my touch, so I apologize if my FF seems a bit lackluster. I have to grab some WD-40, scrape off the rust, and get my writing skills back into an acceptable levels with some good ol' elbow grease.

Well, enough of me babbling here. Time to start on the next chapter!

* * *

**Previous Chapter**

Naruto waved both hands out in front of him towards the guards. "Relax, relax guys. It's me Naruto. Just returning Hanabi Hyūga from our dinner with her father, the Hokage, and the Elders."

Both guards lowered their weapons and resumed guarding the gate.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight Hanabi. I'll see you tomorrow, ok!"

"Ok. What time?"

"I don't know. Lets say 8. I'll come by to pick you up."

"Sounds good. Can't wait for the training session! Night Naruto.

"Night." Naruto called back one last time before disappear. With a grin on her face, she walked back to her room.

When she closed the door behind her, she kicked off her heels, took off her dress and crawled into the bed. Feeling a little bit cold. She grabbed Naruto's suit jacket, clenched it close to her, and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**The Basics of Chakra**

「1st of April」

Hanabi stirred slowly from her slumber. She slowly pulled together a recollection of her dream, but before she could piece it all together, all memory of it faded. The feeling of having dreamed was there, but the memory wasn't. The young Hyūga sighed heavily.

Hanabi slowly inhaled, taking in some unfamiliar smell. A small smile grew on her face from the scent. _'__Such an odd scent, but it puts me at ease.'_

Slowly, she opened her eyes, letting the light of the world around her pour into her milky white eyes. She clenched them shut again. The world was too bright for her dreary mind to process all at once.

She stayed curled up underneath the blanket of her Queen sized bed. Warm. That's how she liked it. She liked being close to any heat, and the heat underneath the blanket persuaded her to stay for several more minutes.

__'_Why must such good things come to an end?!_'__ Hanabi sighed mentally as she forced herself to stir. She opened her milky white eyes once again. This time, her mind was able to process what she saw. She glanced down to see what she was holding onto. It was a black jacket, it was huge. It was practically another blanket laying on top of her small frame, under the blanket that was laying on top of her.

Slowly, she pulled the memories of last night. She remember Naruto handing her his jacket then… Teleporting her? She wasn't aware of any teleporting, but she wouldn't put it past him. She didn't ask him what he did because it's rude to ask a ninja to reveal their secrets, but if he did it again, she would.

They spoke briefly, where she found out that the 4th Hokage was his father. A surprise, but if she looked from it objectively, it only made sense. No way how you can look so much like him without being related in one way or another. Then it clicked in her head. She did know of a teleporting jutsu. The one that made the 4th Hokage so famous.

_'Too early.. Thinking too much.'_ She sighed. She never could remember things clearly in the mornings. Always a slow starter, unless there was something important.

She remembered the discussion they had, and then him teleporting her back to her compound, where she walked through the gate and to her bedroom, immediately falling asleep. She never recounted ever giving his jacket back, meaning-_'__I've been using his jacket as a blanket…_'__

She looked down at the collar of the jacket. There, she noticed a spot. She let out a little squeal. _'__I… I drooled on his jacket. Dammit Hanabi. How unladylike like can you be!_'__ Hanabi berated herself as she sat up.

__'_I just have to get it washed before I give it back to him._'__ The Hyūga sighed once again. She tossed his jacket into the laundry hamper across the room. The black suit jacket landed in with no issues. _'__Score._'__

Hanabi shuffled out of her bed and stood on her feet. They were a little weak, but as she moved around, strength started to return. She quickly took a shower and dressed herself in her ninja attire.

She left her room and walked to the dining area for the main house. She walked into the adjoining kitchen and requested one of the chefs there to prepare her a simple light breakfast. After doing so, she sat at the table, waiting quietly for the food to come.

She took in the relatively quiet morning. Moments passed by before the chefs arrived with a plate with a small portion of tamagoyaki [pretty much a rolled omelet], steamed rice, and miso soup. Hanabi grabbed the chopsticks, gave thanks for the meal, and started to eat the steamed rice. As Hanabi began eating, her father stepped out into the dining hall.

"Good morning Father." Hanabi replied sincerely as she took note of his presence.

"Good morning daughter. I trust you had a good time after I left."

"I most certainly did. I learned a bit more about my teacher before he brought me home. How about you father? By the looks of it, the Hokage was rough with you last night."

Hiashi sighed heavily as he massaged his temple. He knew his little daughter wasn't blissfully unaware of how the Hokage really was. "The Hokage is formidable when it comes to drinking. If you ever have the chance, I suggest you _don't_ take her up on her offers, if you have a choice. Lord Naruto seems to be the only one to hold his own with her."

"Duly noted Father. I will try my best to avoid ending up in such circumstances." Hanabi remarked as she thought for a moment, poised to ask another question. "Why did you call him Lord Naruto, and not Sage Naruto? Is he nobility like us?"

"Yes, and no. Since you are aware of his status, I can tell you more about his heritage. He is the last of both clans, Uzumaki and Namikaze. Well, he may not be the last of the Uzumaki, since they are wandering, but he is the last in the village. So he is the sole heir to not just 1, but 2 clans of the village."

"The Uzumaki clan was given a title of nobility for their relations to the Senju clan and for their contributions to this village. The Namikaze does not necessarily have a history of being a noble clan, but after the village noticed the extraordinary potential Minato Namikaze, who became the 4th Hokage, the clan was given nobility as well."

"So Naruto has not only 1, but 2 titles of nobility to him. Is that why the Elders said they will tell the villagers about him after he decide which family name to inherit?"

"I believe so. Either way, he will still receive both titles of nobility, or at least he should. Add that to him being a Sage and hero of the 5 nations, he has a lot going for him. For what he's been through, it's only right."

"Didn't you hate him, father?"

"No, I never truly hated him. He was annoying and childish and a prankster, but I knew _who_ he was, not just _what_ he was. I knew it wasn't his fault. I had nothing personal against him. That's why I never berated Hinata for… following him."

Hanabi giggled slightly at her father's pause. She knew what he wanted to say, but even he couldn't speak ill of his daughters. "She did do that a lot didn't she."

"She did. I was surprised as to how cooperative she was with the arranged marriage."

"She did date Naruto. I wonder why they didn't work out. She seemed so devoted to him. I think any guy would be lucky to have someone like her by their side."

"Ah, she was devoted, but maybe too devoted. I do not know. It isn't my place to ask about the undoing between her and her first love. I have my suspicions, but I wish not to confirm them."

"I understand." Hanabi replied thoughtfully as she finished off the last of her breakfast. "Well then father, I must go now. I have to meet up with Sage Naruto for training." Hanabi gently placed her chopsticks on the table and left the dining hall.

__'_I sincerely hope she knows what she is getting herself into._'__ Hiashi worried as he saw his youngest daughter march off to what could possibly be her worst experience.

* * *

Hanabi quickly returned to her room where one of the maids were waiting on her. "I have a request of you."

"Yes Lady Hanabi. What is your request."

"I need my laundry to be done. Take special care of the suit jacket that is in the pile. It was given to me last night to keep me warm in the evening. When it is clean, please fold it and wrap it up so I may return it."

The maid bowed gracefully. "As you wish. It shall be done by today."

"Thank you." Hanabi ended the conversation there. She technically didn't have to say thanks, as most nobles don't, since it is expected for the servants to follow orders, but it wouldn't sit well with her if she didn't at least say thanks.

Hanabi retrieved a number of tools from her room before leaving for the Hyūga's Main Gate.

* * *

Slowly, the blonde shinobi stirred in his full-size bed. He unfurled from a curled position and sat up straight. Sleeping cap still on, he rolled out of his bed and stumbled through his tiny apartment. He started up the shower first, knowing it will take awhile before it warms up.

While the water ran, he searched through his dresser and closet for a set of his Jōnin uniform. Pull out a set, he tossed it onto his bed before making his way to the shower. He stripped down and took a quick shower.

After he finished taking his shower, he quickly dried himself off and wore his outfit. He grabbed a pot, filled it with water and left it on the stove to boil it. He grabbed an instant cup of ramen from the pantry and opened it, preparing it. Once the water came to a boil, he carefully poured the water into the cup and placed a pair of chopsticks on top of the lid to keep it shut.

He shuffled around the room and opened up the window next to his bed to let from fresh air before walking back to his ramen. Figuring enough time has passed, be removed the lid, gave thanks for the meal, and began eating the ramen. A small smile appeared on his face as he started to enjoy the simple things in life.

After finishing off his cup of ramen, he packed his pouches with scrolls and weapons before setting off to the Hyūga compound. As he left the door, he created 2 clones. He ordered one to do the laundry and clean the apartment. he then turned to the other.

"I want you to go to the library. Make as many clones as you want, and find some good books to read. When they finish reading, pop them one at a time so I'm not overloaded with info." The clone nodded in affirmation and left immediate. Might as well educate himself while he was training. When you train the body, you should train the mind as well.

With that taken care off, he left, walking at a normal pace towards the Hyūga compound.

* * *

Naruto showed up at the main gate of the Hyūga compound and noticed his new student. He waved at her casually was the guards bowed. "Good morning Sage Naruto!" The guards replied simultaneously.

Naruto grinned as he greeted the guards. He turned and greeted the young Hyūga. "Good morning Hanabi."

"Good morning Sage Naruto." Hanabi could see the sweat drop from Naruto's head.

"Please Hanabi, just Naruto if you will. I'm kinda tired of being called Sage all the time." Naruto replied casually.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-sensei."

Another sweat drop appeared on the back of his head. __'___I guess that will do for now. We will get there in time.__'___ Naruto waved for Hanabi to follow him as he left.

"So what will we do today Naruto-sensei?" Hanabi asked to satisfy her curiosity.

"Train, obviously!" Naruto replied with gusto.

"I… I meant to ask what specifically are we going to train today." Hanabi asked exasperated.

"The first thing we need to do is build up your chakra reserves. As a Chūnin, I assume you know how to efficiently walk up trees and walk on water."

"You are correct Naruto-sensei."

"Good. So I won't have to bother with that. Now. What is the best way to build up your chakra reserves?" Naruto quizzically asked his student.

"That would be to use up as much of your chakra as you can, to force your body to generate more."

"Correct and incorrect."

"What do you mean?"

"First we must cover the basis of chakra. Chakra is made up by mixing both the physical and spiritual energies inside. Physical energy can be built by training the body. Spiritual energy can be built by studying, meditating, and through experience of using jutsu. We will be doing both all day today. So we must train physically and we must gain experience from using jutsu repeatedly."

"But Naruto-sensei. If I deplete my entire chakra reserve from using a jutsu over and over, I run the risk of chakra exhaustion and it will take a whole day before my chakra returns."

"Don't worry about it. I have a method to cover it." Naruto grinned as they arrived in one of the nearest training compounds.

Hanabi tilted her head, trying to think of what method Naruto could use, with no avail. She looked around the training grounds and took in the sight. There was in parting in the trees for this training ground, along with a small river running along the edge of the training ground.

"Now, I assume you already know your primary element."

"Yes Naruto-sensei It's water."

Naruto gave Hanabi a knowing smile. "That's good. That's my secondary element, and I happen to be very proficient at it! Now, use the best water jutsu you can that eats up a lot of your chakra." Naruto stated as he stood from the side.

Hanabi nodded and lowered her stance and formed 3 signs. __'___Dragon. Tiger. Hare.__'___ Hanabi took a deep breath as her cheeks filled with water. __'___Water Release: Wild Water Wave!__'___ A powerful and steady stream of water continuously poured from her mouth, shooting across the training ground and into the stream.

She continued this for half a minute before the stream finally ran out. Hanabi bent over, panting, gasping for air. She felt her reserves pretty depleted and didn't want to run it too low.

"Good choice. The Wild Water Wave jutsu allows you to output how much water you want by how much chakra you are willing to pour into it. Very smart choice indeed."

She rarely heard words of praise from her father, so hearing it from her sensei brought a smile to her.

"Now, sit down for a minute." Naruto instructed as he paced behind her. After she sat down, he did the same. "Give me a moment while I gather Nature energy." Naruto informed her as he began meditating.

The sage started feeling the area around him. The earth. The wind. The water. The grass. The life. Slowly, the Nature energy seeps into him as markings appear around his inhaled deeply, taking in the life around him, and exhaled, breathing life back out.

He opened his eyes, achieving his Sage state. He looked at the tiny figure before him. He saw her whole chakra circulatory system. He saw her diminished chakra reserve in her stomach.

"Hanabi." Naruto called out in a sagely tone. "Hold still. I will place my hand on your chakra core and carefully inject some of my own chakra to replenish yours, understood?"

"Um. Sure. I never heard of such a useful technique before."

"It was used briefly during the Third Great Ninja War." Naruto stated, as he slipped his hands underneath the bottom of her shirt, placing it against her bare skin. "The jutsu was only used in emergency situations due to it's heavy cost. The user of the jutsu has to use twice as much chakra as what would be given to the subject, so it typically drained the user just to do it once."

Hanabi felt his bare hands and twitch at the sudden touch, but didn't yell out. It wasn't like he could anything embarrassing. If his hands went even lower, she didn't care who he was. She would promptly proceed to bash his face.

"Isn't there a more efficient way to transfer one's chakra to another?" Hanabi asked as she felt warm energy being poured into her core.

"No, that is the most efficient. People not use to using this technique would probably waste 5 times as much chakra." Naruto slowly topped off Hanabi's reserves. He pulled his hands away. "There. All done. Try again."

Feeling refreshed, the kunoichi stood up, formed the same 3 seals, and used the same jutsu. This time, there may not of been a noticeable difference, but she _felt_ like it lasted longer, or at least a little more powerful.

* * *

2 hours passed in this motion. Hanabi used a variety of different jutsu to change it up over other hours. Naruto called it to a halt as the Sun loomed at it's highest point in the sky. He began to see the mental exhaustion take over in Hanabi. He was topping off her reserves over and over, and her reserves were growing slightly more and more each time, but the repetitive nature of this training was starting to show.

"Let's call it a break and relax for a bit." Naruto suggested.

"It's ok Naruto-sensei. I can keep going."

"I know you can keep going Hanabi, but overdoing it will cause more trouble than it's worth. So for now, lay down, relax, and reflect over the experiences you gained over the past 2 hours."

Hanabi seemed a bit down, but did as she was told. She laid down, sprawling her limbs across the lush green grass and closed her eyes. She recalled each of her jutsu feeling like they've gotten stronger, even though she was just beginning. She knew this wouldn't be possible with anyone else. No one had the vast chakra reserves that Naruto had. Even so, he must be pushing himself near his limits after refilling her so many times.

Even so, as he instructed, she reflected on her experiences. 10 minutes passed. 20 minutes passed. 30 minutes passed. She finally sat upright, thinking there was no more for her to examine. She opened her eyes and notice her sensei simply sitting. No. He wasn't simply sitting. He was meditating.

She felt an enormous aura come off him. It didn't feel dense, it felt soft. It didn't feel heavy, it felt light. It didn't feel cold, it felt warm. It didn't feel dangerous, it felt peaceful. Curious, Hanabi made her way to the front of Naruto and sat down, staring at his face. She took note of the orange pigmentation surrounding his eyes, confirming he was in sage mode.

Hanabi sat down and waited patiently. This was her sensei's time to train. A few moments passed before his eyes open. She held a steady gaze as she looked at his golden eyes. __'___His pupils look just like a toads. I guess that's because he's a Toad Sage. Makes sense he would take some characteristics of them in his Sage mode.__'___

"Alright Hanabi, I want you to practice your chakra control. You must remember to do this every day."

"I'm already very proficient at controlling my chakra Naruto-sensei. Why must I continue to train it?" Hanabi asked sincerely.

"Because as your chakra reserves grow, you are not adept at handling more chakra at once. So when we do training to build your chakra reserves, we must also do training to ensure you can control the new amount of chakra at your disposal."

"Wow." Hanabi let out an audible surprise. "How do you know all this stuff?"

"Lots of messing up on my end. I was raising my chakra reserves more and more, but my control over jutsu became worse and worse. I asked around and studied a lot of books before I found out why. Finally I found it in a book of chakra fundamentals in the library over a year ago. Ever since then, I made sure to pour a lot of time and training into chakra control through my shadow clones."

"Why shadow clones?" Hanabi asked as her interest peaked.

A grin appeared on Naruto's face. "You'll learn once you can do the Shadow Clone."

Hanabi playfully pouted at her teacher as he wouldn't tell her. "So what should I do?"

"The best exercise to do. Walking on water."

"But I can do that already."

"That may well be the case, but can you do it without using a hand sign? Can you do it without focusing at all? Is it second nature to you?"

Hanabi looked down in disappointment. "No sensei."

"So you haven't mastered it. Even so, as you build your chakra reserves, you must continue this training to maintain that level of chakra control. Once you have mastered basic chakra control, we will move to shape and nature transformation training."

Light shined in her milky white eyes. __'___Finally something new!__'___ With renewed vigor, Hanabi walked over to the river. She collected herself and poured a small amount of chakra into her feet as she stepped onto the water.

Her feet sank no more than a quarter inch into the water before she stabilized herself. She felt the water rushing underneath her and adjusted the amount of chakra every minute. She slowly started taking tilting steps across the water, but nonetheless walking on water.

___'__He-He was right. This is a lot harder than before, and I only grew my chakra slightly! It's probably because I'm not using a hand sign either.__'___

Naruto smiled as he saw his student teeter totter her way across the surface of the water awkwardly, but she was learning fast. Faster than him. Suddenly, a cruel prank came to his mind. Regardless how old he may be, or how mature he has gotten over the years, he still loved to pull pranks.

He made a single clone while his student was looking down, concentrating on her feet. They looked to one another, giving each other a knowing nod. The clone vanished before Hanabi even had a chance to look up.

Hanabi took several more steps around. She closed her eyes to concentrate more, searching out when the water surged with more power, or receded it's flow. The river was constantly moving and constantly changing. She had to adapt her flow continuously. She couldn't keep it steady. It had to be fluctuating. She focused more. She could now sense the change in water a few seconds ahead of time, but at the cost of not moving.

___'__That won't do me any good in a fight. I'm concentrating too much. I need to-__'___ Hanabi's expression changed dramatically. She started to pour even more water into her feet for the oncoming surge of water she felt rushing towards her. She wasn't fast enough. The speed and the change in volume was too drastic. Next thing she knew, she fell into the water, drenching herself.

In the distance, she heard a loud bellow of laughter reverberating through the air. __'___Dammit! Just when I was thinking he was mature, he goes pulling a prank! Great and wise Sage my ass!__'___ Hanabi clenched her eyes, shaking her fist with the frustration building up inside her.

She sighed heavily and opened her eyes, only to see Naruto standing before, reaching his hands out with a smile. __'___Fine. I can play the same game!__'___ Hanabi grabbed his hand to help herself up, but in an instant, her smile flashed to an evil grin, she flared chakra into her hand and instead of pulling herself up, she pulled him down.

Naruto lost balance from the sudden rise in strength. He figured Hanabi would attempt to pull him down, but he didn't expect her to use chakra to augment her strength, so even though he made preparations to guard against her tactic, he still fell down into the river. __'___Good to know I'm not the only one who's willing to pull pranks.__'___

Naruto chuckled lightly as he too was now drenched. __'___Reap what you sow indeed.__'___ He opened his eyes and noticed the situation he was in. __'___This is not good.__'___ He was currently positioned in a precarious stance above his student.

His face was dangerously close to her.

*Click. Click*

He shifted his legs to stabilize his proned stance, which incidentally brushed his knee against something he should not of. Hanabi's eyes widen with shock and then quickly narrowed as she glared daggers at her teacher.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut and lowered his head in an apologetic manner. "Sorry."

"Just. Get. Off." Hanabi hissed out, venom dripping between her teeth.

___'__Don't have to tell me twice!__'___ Naruto quickly, and uncomfortably brought himself to an upright position before extending his hand once again. __'___Hell has no fury like a woman's scorn…__'___

Hanabi took his hand as leverage and brought herself also to an upright position. Fuming, she walked out of the river still drenched. "Now I have to go change."

"Sorry. My prank went a little too far there."

"You had something to do with that sudden fluctuation with the water, didn't you?" Hanabi asked, catching onto his choice of words, as she turned around, finally facing her instructor.

"Yes. I figured that it would be a bit funny and teach you a lesson too."

"Oh, and what is that?" Hanabi crossed her arms across her dripping outfit, waiting for a reply.

Naruto's eyes steeled over and his happy demeanor vanished. "When fighting, the water is never calm and predictable. You should never predict how the water is going to change, but wait for it to happen and do it on the spot."

Hanabi stood there for a few moments, contemplating what he was trying to explain. He was correct. Earlier she was focusing so much on predicting that she could hardly even move. Walking on water is one thing, but mastering it to where you won't even have to think about it is a completely different thing.

You can't effectively fight a battle on water if you have to concentrate and predict even the slightest bit on how the water will change. If this is the basics of chakra control, she had a long way to go. __'___He's right about that, but I'm still pissed at him.__'___ She glared at her sensei.

Warmth flowing back into his eyes, he suggested a thought. "How about this. After we change, I'll treat you to lunch, sound good?"

Hanabi stood there for a brief moment before giving her a reply. "Fair, but I'm still going to be mad at you sensei."

Naruto sighed as he walked up. "I'll drop you off at your compound so you won't have to walk around all drenched."

"Thanks." Hanabi simply replied before the both of them vanished.

* * *

Nearly an hour has passed by since Naruto dropped off Hanabi at the main gate. The look on the guards were priceless. Hanabi almost immediately stormed away from him when they arrived.

Since then, he quickly got back to his dinky little apartment and promptly toss his clothes in the dryer while he took a long shower. Afterwards, his clothes were dried off, so he changed back into them, since they were hardly dirty, and walked back to the compound.

There he leaned against the wall next to the guards, not saying a thing. __'___Why is she taking so long?__'___ Naruto grumbled to himself. Certainly enough, as soon as he thought about leaving, Hanabi came walking out.

"So where are we going to go?" Hanabi asked, her hair still wet.

"My favorite place." Naruto grinned as he motioned for Hanabi to follow.

The 2 of them walked through the center of the village. Naturally both of them always drew other people's attention. One was a hero, the other was a main branch member of the Hyūga clan. Both was well known through the village, but never seen together. Until last night and today.

Several of the citizens seemed to of been whispering to one another. Hanabi was intrigued by their reactions, but decided to brush it off. __'___They couldn't be thinking about what I think they are. That would be foolish. We aren't even properly dressed for-__'___ Hanabi stopped mid thought as she realized where her train of thought was heading. __'___Why would I even think that. Just stop thinking about it. You are learning from him to become more powerful. Simple as that. No more. No less.__'___ Hanabi released any extra thoughts from her mind and concentrated on what was in front of her.

Naruto lead them to his favorite place to each in the entire village. Whenever he wanted a place to relax, or just to eat, he would almost always come here. Ichiraku's Ramen stand. Naruto promptly sat on a stool and grinned as he waved hello to both Teuchi and Ayame.

Hanabi sighed. __'___What was I expecting? Should've known he would've taken me here.__'___ Hanabi took up a stool next to her sensei.

"How may I help you today?" Teuchi called out, asking for his customers' orders.

"3 Pork Ramen, Teuchi!" Naruto replied all too happily as he conversed the old man.

"And I'll have 1 bowl of Chicken Ramen please."

"Coming right up!"

Moments passed by before their bowls arrived. Both shinobi's gave their thanks and began to eat.

The difference between the student and teacher were night and day. One was practically inhaling the ramen while the other was eating it in a most graceful manner.

Between the infrequent breaths as he inhaled his ramen, he would ask the Old Man and his daughter how their day been. Hearing their response, his eyes would dance with happiness, knowing they were doing good.

"So why are you with her, Naruto?" Ayame called out, with a devious smirk on her face as he finished off his third bowl.

"Hanabi Hyūga is my disciple! So I'm training her."

Ayame chuckled sweetly. "Disciple huh? That's not what I heard."

"And pray tell, what exactly did you hear?" Naruto asked in a dull voice. He didn't like where this was going, especially with that expression on her face.

Ayame eyes shined with mischief. "Girlfriend." Was the single word she let out. __'___Oh, this is too much fun.__'___

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he poise a question. "And what led you to believe that rumor-"

"This." Ayame replied without missing a beat. She swiftly pulled out a single picture from her pocket. It showed Naruto in a suit, minus the jacket, with the said jacket wrapped around Hanabi's tiny frame. His arm wrapped around her, and a light blush appearing on her face. Anyone would've mistaken these two as a couple from the picture alone.

"W-Who?" Hanabi immediately dropped her chopsticks as she asked in a shocked, high-pitch voice.

Naruto replied with a single word laced with poison. "Kakashi."

"W-When?!" Hanabi asked in a barely audible voice.

"Clearly last night." Naruto remarked smartly.

"H-How?!"

"By being a sneaky bastard." Naruto growled under his breath. "Worry not Hanabi," Naruto's gaze darken along with his tone. "I'll deal with him later." Naruto stated as he placed the change for their meals on the counter.

Naruto separated himself from the ramen stand and motioned for his student to follow him. "Lets get back to training."

Hanabi hesitantly nodded, slightly frighten by his demeanor. Nonetheless, she still followed her teacher.

* * *

Both of the arrived at the training grounds and started stretching.

"So sensei, what will we be training right now?" Hanabi stated as she started stretching her legs.

"Well, much like how we trained our yin, or spiritual energy, earlier by using jutsu, we must train our yang, or physical energy, for the rest of the day."

The both finished stretching before Naruto motioned her to a tree. "We will start off with kicks and punches. You want to throw them straight, and sharp. Through punching, you can use your taijutsu faster and more accurately. I'll watch to correct your form if I notice anything."

Hanabi replied with a single nod before throwing her punches at the tree. A few minutes passed by before Naruto held his hand up.

"Ok," Naruto quickly grabbed his student's attention as he took up his stance next to her. "First, lower your stance, that way you will have a lower center of gravity, that way-" Naruto swept one of her legs out from her.

Hanabi let out a gasp as she lost her balance, but felt a large hand placed against her upper back for support. She blushed a little from embarrassment. Naruto withdrew his hand once she firmly placed both feet and lowered her stance. "-you won't topple over so easily."

"When you throw your punches, be sure to fully extend the arm." Naruto suggested as he grabbed her arm, extending it, and tapping the elbow to lock it in place. "Be sure to properly distance yourself from the tree so you can use the full extension of your arm."

Hanabi took a deep breath and resumed her punches. After 30 minutes, Naruto instructed her to work on her kicks.

"Training your legs is one of the most important things you can do. For the kicks, you have to maintain balance on one foot while swinging your whole body. This will not only build up your strength, which allows you to run faster and kick harder, but also maintain a great center of balance no matter what pose you are in."

Hanabi replied in affirmative and started kicking her tree. Several minutes passed before Naruto gave her points on how to improve.

"You do not want to lock the knee of the leg you are standing on. The lightest of kicks will send you toppling. As for kicks, keep your half folded into your thigh. Once you are near the tree, spring it out. The momentum of swinging your calf while you are swinging your thigh will greatly enhance the force behind the kick, making it more effective."

Naruto quickly swung out his leg as a whole, causing the tree to stir before him. He then folded his calf to his thigh, swung his thigh, and right before bringing it inline with the tree, he sprung his calf, slamming the shin of his right leg against the tree, causing several leaves to fall down with a mighty shake.

Hanabi eyes widen with disbelief. Now that she thought out about it, it did make sense. The calf, which is striking, would be moving at a faster speed if sprung at the end, rather than the beginning.

Hanabi began twisting her upper body, coiling the energy together, and unwinding all that energy. Her leg slammed against the tree, giving it a small shiver. A smile grew upon her face as she saw a visible difference in power. She honed her mind and continued doing the same kicks for the next 30 minutes.

Hanabi sat down rubbing her shins. __'___Damn this stuff hurts.__'___ She sighed heavily.

Naruto smiled sweetly as gave her a hand. "That will be enough for today Hanabi." Naruto didn't want to push her too far in one day. "So that you needn't walk far, I'll bring you home."

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She blinked. In that instant, before she could even open them, the landscape changed around them. The fact that Naruto could use this technique still amazes her.

"Be sure to tend to your ache and pains. We will do the same routine tomorrow. Understood?" Naruto stared at his student. He monitored her body language, her facial expressions, and the desires in her eyes as he peered into her soul.

Hearing his tone, she knew that wasn't a question, but a statement. She was upset. Upset at herself that she was too weak to handle what he could throw at her. Furious that her clan said that she was strong when she is nothing compared to him. How long must she wait before she can truly become strong.

Not strong in her clan's eyes, but in her own. Strong enough to where she could be on par with someone like him. She knew it was a fools dream, but she chased it nonetheless. She wanted the power where no one can force her to do anything.

"Understood sensei. I'll see you tomorrow." Hanabi replied with a burning desire in her eyes.

Naruto scratched his head as she passed the guards. __'___This is not good.__'___ Naruto sighed mentally. __'___I could tell by her eyes. She's going about this the wrong way. If she doesn't fix herself in the next few weeks, I'll have to talk to her about it before it gets worse.__'___

Naruto scratched his head once again before disappear into the night.

* * *

Naruto arrived in a different training ground. He glanced up and saw a familiar white-haired shinobi laying in a branch, reading from a orange book. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei. I need to ask you a few questions."

___'__What the. I didn't even feel him appear. I may be relaxed but he shouldn't have gotten this close without me noticing. Unless he…__'___ Kakashi started to sweat as he glanced down to his former student.

Kakashi decided to respond with innocence and ignorance. Maybe he didn't know. He hoped he didn't know. "Ah. I heard you have a new disciple-"

"Yes." Naruto replied curtly. "Her name is Hanabi Hyūga."

"O-Oh." A sweat drop. "The prodigy from the Main House is it?"

"Yes."

"Did you come here seeking for guidance in how to be a good sensei." Kakashi did his best to maintain his mask. __'___Please say yes. Please, please, please say yes.__'___

"No."

"Oh." Kakashi started panicking. __'___Shit. I have to remain calm. He might still not know.__'___ Kakashi strengthened his facade. "What brings you here then?"

"I wanted to ask you about a certain picture or two."

The area was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. "What pictures-"

"Cut the bullshit sensei. You know what pictures I'm talking about."

Kakashi let out an audible gulp. __'___Fuck.__'___

"Knowing what happened with my last relationship, I want to simply ask this. Why?"

Kakashi knew there was no getting out of this. "Because I thought you two looked happy."

"Yes, I'm happy because I have a legitimate student to teach now. She's happy because she has the strongest teaching her." Naruto stated as if it was simple fact and no more.

"Is that all? No other feelings at all-"

"She's 16 for crying out loud Kakashi!"

"And perfectly marriageable too!" Kakashi quickly quipped, hoping to inject some humor to lessen the tone.

"M-Marriageable?! That's TOO FAR sensei!" Naruto gasp in shock.

Kakashi quickly raised out his hands, waving. "I was just using it as an example! I didn't mean that she should marry, but that if she's old enough to marry, she's old enough to date!"

"Kakashi! You know I wouldn't want to date anyone after what happened last time!" Naruto vehemently spat out.

___'__Still letting that eat you up inside aren't you?__'___ Kakashi sighed heavily. "You know that wasn't your fault. There was extenuating circumstances regarding that and you said it yourself. You didn't expect her to give up everything for you."

"I know what I said Kakashi-sensei! It still doesn't make it any less painful for me!" Naruto gripped his fists, his fingers breaking his skin as his eyes began to swell with tears.

Kakashi dropped from the tree and place his hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't know it would affect you this badly. I thought you gotten over it."

Naruto sighed heavily, hearing his sensei's apologetic words as his hands already began to stop the bleeding and heal his self-inflicted wounds. "Just promise me one thing, sensei." Naruto turned his gaze upward, the lights in his eyes danced with the myriad of emotions that played through them as they mingled with the lingering tears.

"What would that be?"

"Don't try to make something out of nothing between Hanabi and I. We are merely teacher and student. I do not like her that way, nor does she." Naruto requested firmly from his teacher.

"I promise not to make something out of nothing Naruto." Kakashi promised solemnly. __'___But if something does appear, you bet your ass I'll make something out of it Naruto. You deserve happiness the most out of this village, and not even you will stop me from that.__'___

Naruto sensed something went awry with his acceptance, but chose to dismiss it. He would have faith in his teacher. "Thank you for understanding."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Yikes. This one took a while. I kept going in so many different directions. Plus with schooling and my first test, I had to take more breaks than I thought I would need to make sure I passed, which I did. It was still very difficult for me to focus on this chapter, with all the things going on this week.

I guess I just psyched myself out. The class isn't nearly as hard as I thought, nor the test. In fact, it was very easy. First one to finish to boot! I've just been stuck with writer's block and unable to concentrate that after a certain part, I just couldn't proceed any farther.

I hoped you all like the flavor I attempted to bring to this chapter. I tried to make it more detailed and more… Passionate? Appeal-able? I dunno what word to use, but I tried to make it seem more…. Vibrant I guess… I dunno. I have a lot to work on, as I'm far from perfection. Very far.

In all honesty, I'm hoping to use this fanfic to brush off the rust and hone my skills. I'm terribly sorry if it seems awful at first, but hopefully the chapters will get better later on! As stated before, this is going to be long.

This isn't a simple NarutoxHanabi. But Naruto growing closer to Hanabi through their partnership that is teacher and student. Before becoming friends, and then lovers. I don't want to rush in there, but progress. And this isn't just about them. It's about Naruto getting ready to become Hokage.

Also, I planned for this chapter to go farther, but it's already long enough, so I cut it off where I did and will pick it up again with a time gap. I don't want to do a monotonous day-by-day training session. By probably weeks at a time it would change, just to emphasize that this isn't her getting strong in just a week or a month, but over months. This will allow "time" to pass to grow their relationships, while not necessarily taking too many chapters to do.

* * *

**Replies to Chapter 3 Reviews**

Adharsh: Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!

9tailsfox2: I'm happy you did. Naruto knew. He isn't blind. He clearly saw someone with such a small frame being completely engulfed by his jacket. But he is in no means in a rush to retrieve it. Just isn't all that important to him.

Ryuujin96: Thank you. I try to keep him mature, but I feel he should still have a sense of humor to him too, which you can tell by him playing a prank on his little student today. Also, I don't want anyone to be necessarily against him for no reason at all. Well, no valid reason at least. I want everything to have a reason, a purpose.

Troy123: Thank you! Let me know if you notice anything I need to improve on.

warrof: Thanks for that! Already fixed it. And yes, that sound was someone getting a picture.

Twiya: Thanks. I try to keep them cute, but I don't think I'll get them together for a while. I want this to be gradual.

* * *

**Edits**

13APR14: Corrected a few things that Ryuujin96 was so kind to point out.

22APR14: Minor change. Nothing to the story.

27APR14: Replaced all words of Hyuga with Hyūga.

30APR14: Rating changed due to content of Chapter 6.

02MAY14: Corrected some spelling errors I found myself. Added a few details, took some lines out. Spruced it up a bit, even though it was pretty detailed as is. Still far from perfect.

11MAY14: Changed section at the top stating when the chapter was posted and when it was last updated.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

* * *

\- Chapter 4 -

\- COMPLETE -


	5. A Treasured Bond

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter posted 23APR14 -

\- Last updated 12MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _w__hispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An **emphasis on a word** in thought.'_

**_"Bijū or the sort speaking."_**

**_'Bijū_ or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bij**ū's sound effect or action of some effect.*****

**Title.**

**Sections.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

Hey everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. Been busy with school, but I've been utilizing my free time to write this when I'm not either reading another fanfic or catching up on the weekly release of many things.

For this chapter, we will have a time skip of several weeks. I'll be including some notes towards the end about several things that _might_ be different from how the manga may end. As the manga is STILL going (hopefully it will end soon), there may be some conflicts between the manga and this story, which is bound to happen, such as some people may die towards the end and they are alive here, or some dead people might have been revived through some means, I dunno. But we will see.

Easier way to say it is that those who are dead right now, are going to stay dead. Those who are alive are going to be alive right now, minus main villain.

Enough of this, lets get to what you've been waiting for. The next chapter!

* * *

**Previous Chapter**

___'__Still letting that eat you up inside aren't you?__'___ Kakashi sighed heavily. "You know that wasn't your fault. There was extenuating circumstances regarding that and you said it yourself. You didn't expect her to give up everything for you."

"I know what I said Kakashi-sensei! It still doesn't make it any less painful for me!" Naruto gripped his fists, his fingers breaking his skin as his eyes began to swell with tears.

Kakashi dropped from the tree and place his hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't know it would affect you this badly. I thought you gotten over it."

Naruto sighed heavily, hearing his sensei's apologetic words as his hands already began to stop the bleeding and heal his self-inflicted wounds. "Just promise me one thing, sensei." Naruto turned his gaze upward, the lights in his eyes danced with the myriad of emotions that played through them as they mingled with the lingering tears.

"What would that be?"

"Don't try to make something out of nothing between Hanabi and I. We are merely teacher and student. I do not like her that way, nor does she." Naruto requested firmly from his teacher.

"I promise not to make something out of nothing Naruto." Kakashi promised solemnly. _'__But if something does appear, you bet your ass I'll make something out of it Naruto. You deserve happiness the most out of this village, and not even you will stop me from that.__'___

Naruto sensed something went awry with his acceptance, but chose to dismiss it. He would have faith in his teacher. "Thank you for understanding."

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**A Treasured Bond**

「4 Weeks - 28th of April」

Several weeks has passed since Naruto initially took the young Hyūga under his wing. Everyday, even the weekends, it was composed of the same training. Exhausting her chakra through the use of ninjutsu and the strengthening of her body through taijutsu training. She was quickly progressing, but before he could continue, Hanabi and her team were assigned a C-ranked escort mission to the Land of Waves. It's been a week since they left.

Naruto hummed to himself as he wandered around the village. He eventually found himself in a district belonging to the Uchiha clan. As long as a single member of the clan still lived, the clan could not remove any of the homes. He walked through the street, various different homes of sizes on both sides, all of them covered in dust, untouched for ages, all but one.

The home which Sasuke grew up and currently lived is the only one to be clean. Naruto knocked on the door to see if his former teammates were home. Not a sound came in reply to his knocks. _'No one is home huh. I guess those 2 are still on their honeymoon._'__

Naruto sighed heavily as he paced away from the district. Without any real thought as to what to do, he wandered where the wind took him. As he wandered, almost everyone he walked by greeted him with smiles. After an hour passed by, he came across one of his friends from his childhood.

Sporting the green spandex, Lee and Gai were running around the village. Naruto waved towards the 2, immediately capturing their attentions. Lee pivoted on his heel and took off towards Naruto at unspeakable speed.

__'_I hope he can stop!_'__ Naruto panicked, poised to jump at the last second if in case his friend was unable to stop on a dime. Surely enough, even with all that speed behind him, Lee came to a grinding halt before Naruto, have a salutational greeting to the blonde shinobi.

"Good morning Naruto!" The essence of youth was overflowing with each word.

A single thought came to Naruto's mind when he was greeted by Lee. "Hey Lee! I got a favor to ask you."

"Anything Naruto!" Lee happily agreed to his request without even confirming. After years of knowing each other, he knew there would be only one thing he would request of him.

"Mind sparring with me?"

"Certainly! Lets meet at Training Grounds 28!" Gleefully, the green spandex sporting Jōnin grinned as he and his sensei jumped away.

With a wide grin, Naruto followed both Lee and Gai.

* * *

The 3 off them appeared in a vast clearing of the woods. Almost a perfect circular patch of dirt expanded outward of an 100 feet radius. Gai stood in the center with Naruto and Lee on opposite sides of each other.

"So what restrictions do you wish to place Naruto?" Gai asked.

Naruto contemplated for a while. He remembered the first time he fought with Lee. It took over a whole day, a full 24 hours, before either of them decided to stop. While he had all day, he did not want necessarily wanted to spend so long on a fight.

"First, Taijutsu only. Second, we will keep our weights on, and I won't remove my seals. Third, no Inner gates. Fourth, first to land 1 blow wins."

Gai and Lee both nodded their head in unison, agreeing to the restrictions for this fight. Gai spoke up, asking a question to one of the things Naruto remarked. "So I take it you were able to decipher your clan's scrolls?"

"Only a few scrolls. The other ones I can decipher in time, but if they're anywhere as hard as this seal, it will be a while before I will master them. There's just so many."

"They're that hard?" Lee questioned.

Naruto sighed heavily as he answered the question. "Yeah. I haven't even mastered this seal. It's rough, but it works for all intents and purposes."

This time, Gai asked another question. "So, what does that seal do? I know you've been using it for a while, and you said you were tweaking with it and tell me once you figured out everything."

"Ah, yes. This is my favorite seal from the scrolls I deciphered." Naruto nodded. "It takes the spiritual and physical energies used to make chakra, and makes it counter flow against it self. Since it forces the physical energy against itself, it also strengthens my body."

"How many gates can you open so far Naruto?"

"2 so far, I'm not nearly as talented as you or Gai." Naruto lightly scratched the back of his head.

Lee nearly teared up. Being called talented by him, one of his best friends, truly made his day. With his fist shaking and tears flowing, he smiled. "The youth is strong in you!"

Naruto sweated a little. _'__Him and his youth._'__

Lee jumped back and moved into his Strong Fist stance. Naruto also jumped back, positioning himself in no particular stance. He lowered his waist, brought his right fist to his side, and extended his left fist out.

__'_Never seen that stance before._'__ Gai thought to himself as he examined Naruto's pose. _'__Not many openings. Not sure why he is sticking his left arm all the way out. This could be intriguing._'__ Gai raised his hand. He glanced at both parties and immediately dropped it, signaling the fight to begin.

Without missing a beat, Lee sprang forwards with unprecedented speed, hurtling himself towards Naruto. "DYNAMIC ENTRY!" The youthful taijutsu master leaped from the ground, extending both right leg and arms, aiming for Naruto's torso.

Naruto pivoted on the spot, swinging his body out of the range of his kick, but kept his fist leveled with Lee's eyesight. Just as Lee passed by him, he made his move while he was still within range.

Lee's face swept dangerously close to Naruto's fist. He didn't worry though. It was fully extended, so it wouldn't hit him unless Naruto moved. Nonetheless, something caught his attention as he flew by. _'__I can't see much! His fist is like a wall, blocking most of my view!_'__

Suddenly, another fist came into view. Lee's eyes widen as he moved up his right arm to intercept it, blocking the punch. Taking the brunt of the force, his body tilted, sending him on a deviant course angled away from Naruto.

Naruto quickly retracted his right fist back to his side.

Lee blinked several times as his mind started grinding away as to what just happened. _'__I couldn't see his attack until the last second because of that fist._'__

Gai mulled to himself as he saw the brief contact between Lee and Naruto. _'__He seems to be using his left fist as a shield, to counter against Lee's attacks and to hinder his vision, while he holds back his right fist and strikes with it like a spear at any opportunity._'__

Lee rolled along the ground before coming to a halt. With a grin, he fell into his stance once again. He hopped a few times before dashing off again. _'__I'll fake him out. When I get close, I'll dash around and strike from behind!_'__

Just as he moved in, Naruto adjusted his arm to hinder Lee's eyesight. Lee instantly pivoted on the spot, swinging around his friend to position himself behind Naruto.

Naruto pivoted quickly on the spot, swinging his extended fist, matching it with Lee's speed and movement.

Blocking his view from his attack, Lee jumped back once again. _'__Hmm. I guess I have to kick it up a notch!_'__ Lee shifted from side to side before lowering his stance. Before taking off, he noticed something was off. _'__Where did he-_'__ Before he could even finish his thought, Naruto was upon him. Same fist outstretched, expanding it's size in Lee's field of view.

He knew what was going to happen, so he twisted his body counter-clockwise to the outside of Naruto's left arm, dodging Naruto's incoming punch barely. Be continued to spin around until he was behind Naruto, following through with a counter-attack.

Naruto spun clockwise to defend.

Lee, still spinning, sent a right hook to his ribs.

Before he could do anything, Lee already nailed him in the side of the rib. _'__Damn. He's not light on the punches!_'__ Naruto skidded a few feet away as he clenched his right side.

Gai raised his hand, indicating the fight ended in Lee's victory.

Gai stretched out his fist and gave his trademark thumbs up. "Nice job Lee!"

"Thank you Gai-Sensei!"

Naruto took a deep breath as he felt his side, making sure no bones were broken. After confirming, he casually walked over to Lee. "That was a good fight Lee. Still shows I'm no match for you."

Lee scratched the back of his head as he blushed at the comment. "Only in your base form. I'm sure if you decided to go all out, I would lose."

"But I have no reason to go all out any more, and I'm sure the village would be happy if it stayed that way!" Naruto chuckled loudly. He understood how much power he held. He knew that without having the powers of the Tailed Beasts inside him, or the power of the Sage, while he could hold his own against the top, he would not be the strongest as he is right now.

He wanted to be like Lee. No natural talent, but surely one of the best through sheer dedication. This is the reason why he wanted to train his 'base' form. He doesn't hate the 'gifts' given to him, but he didn't want it to rely on them. He wanted to be strong without them.

Naruto patted Lee on the shoulder. He was a bit disappointed that the fight ended so soon, but it just showed how much farther he had to go before he could stand on equal grounds with his friend.

"Good job Lee. I need to work harder to catch up."

Lee grinned as he stared at Gai. Gai gave a knowing nod to Lee's unvoiced question. He bent down and pulled up his orange leg warmers. Wrapped around his ankles were a series of weights, resembling what he was wearing back in the Chūnin Exam several years ago. He quickly unfastened both of them and held them out.

"These are for you Naruto! I'm sure they will supplement your own training quite well! They were starting to get a bit light for me now anyways."

Naruto took a closer look at the weights. Written on them were the words 'Fight Lee! Fight!'. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle lightly to receiving hand-me-downs from Lee, but he accepted the gift lightly.

After Lee confirmed Naruto had a firm grip on his weights, he let go of them, causing Naruto's arms to drop considerably. _'__Good lord. These must weigh a ton each! You are too much Lee!_'__ Naruto mentally exasperated as he fought to wrap the weights around his leg under his pants.

The weights were a considerable strain on him, but he would adjust in time. Not to mention they pulling on his leg hairs. _'__I better grab some sport tape soon._'__ Naruto grinned has he said thanks to Lee.

"Now Lee! Lets get you some new weights!"

"Aye, Gai-sensei!" Giving his teacher his trademark salute, the both of them flared their brilliant smiles at Naruto before leaving.

Naruto sighed heavily as he grudgingly began his long walk to find some sport tape.

* * *

Naruto pushed open a glass door, knocking a dangling bell, informing the store owner of a customer's entrance. A soft voice called out from beyond the door behind the counter.

"Hold one! I'll be right there!"

Several sounds of metal clanging against each other. The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard as the owner stepped out with soot all over her coveralls. She wiped the dirt and grime from her face as best as she could, but alas, visible traces of her tiresome work remained.

She glanced at the blonde shinobi as a smile grew exponentially on her face. Her eyes danced with a myriad of emotions as she lifted up a piece of the counter, allowing her access to the rest of the store.

"Hey stranger!" She deftly stepped towards Naruto throwing her arms around him.

"Hey Tenten." Naruto replied as he was met with the dirty, yet warm embrace of his friend. "How have you been holding up?"

She pulled her face away, tilting her head and adding a sweet smile. "I've been getting better." The emotions on her face morphed from happy, to sad, to anger. She quickly pulled her smithing hammer from her waist, hitting Naruto upside the head as she pouted slightly. "Would it kill you to come back and visit me?! You've been gone for months, and not a single word!"

Naruto, crouching and clenching his head, moaned in agony. _'__Damn. Ain't no punch from Sakura, but still hurts like hell!_'__ Naruto exhaled a painful gasp before replying. "Sorry Tenten, but you don't need to go hitting me upside the head."

Tenten reflected on her actions. She didn't mean to really hurt the guy, but on second thought, no matter what, getting hit by a smithing hammer would hurt anyone. No matter how mad she was, she shouldn't of taken it that far.

"Sorry. It seems all I ever do is hit and berate you." Tenten expression changed once again as she stared at the ground, fidgeting with her fingers.

After rubbing his head a dozen times, he stood back up and laid both hands on her shoulders. "It's ok Tenten, I forgive you, so don't be so sad!" Tenten raised her head, locking her eyes with Naruto's. Naruto grinned back. "Besides, didn't hurt as much as when Sakura used to punch me."

Tenten let out a small chuckle, recalling several circumstances that lead to Naruto flying across the streets from a punch of a pink-haired kunoichi. "She always was rough with you, wasn't she."

Naruto bellowed out in laughter as he agreed with her. "I don't even know why I chased after her for so long."

"Yeah, especially after all those punches you took. You were one determined knucklehead, Naruto." Tenten agreed, laughing all the same with her friend.

"You better believe it!" Naruto grinned.

"So. What brings you to my little shop, Oh Great Hero, Naruto-sama." Tenten asked as she was playfully adding honorifics.

"Stop that Tenten. You know I hate it when people call me that." Naruto chastised his friend for making fun of his titles. Tenten merely stuck her tongue out all too playfully in response. "But yeah, I came here to get some athletic tape. Lee have me his old weights and it's hurting my leg hairs!" Naruto called out sorrowfully as tears streamed down his face.

Tenten could stopped laughing and immediately ran around a corner, turning into an aisle and grabbing some white tape. She turned around and tossed it at Naruto. She rang him up and he happily paid for the bandages

He sat on the ground immediately and pulled off the weights, laying them carefully on the ground as to not leave a crater. He already got hit once in the head, and that was playfully. Last thing he wanted was a smithing hammer being flung at him at full force.

His legs were a pinkish red, severely agitated by the weights. Be rubbed it a few times to relax the muscles and rub out the irritation before wrapping it up. He attached the leg weights to his legs again, grinning as he now didn't feel the friction anymore.

Tenten manage to get a glimpse at the writing on the each of the individual weights. _'__Fight Lee, Fight! huh? Gai always motivated Lee every way possible, didn't he._'__ A gentle smile grew upon her face once again as Naruto rose to his feet. "Hey, remember what you asked me to do last time you were here?"

Naruto rattled his brain for a bit, attempting to recall past conversations. Searching through his mind to no avail, he shook his head as Tenten pouted slightly in response. _'__Seriously. This guy. If I didn't remind him, he would never remember._'__ Tenten sighed lightly. "The you wanted specific kunais made. The 3-pronged ones. All uncharged." Tenten walked behind the counter and pulled out a flat, rectangular box.

She lifted the top, showcasing 10 cobalt-blue triple-pronged kunai with seas wrapped around the handle. She smiled as she saw the light in Naruto's eyes. She placed the cover back on the flat box and handed it to him. "You already have many of these planted around the village, and I take it you planted the others in the different villages when you were gone the past few months. What do you need 10 more for?"

"To give them out to people. I'll need another 10 more I think." Naruto grinned as he pulled the box off the counter.

"I'll need an upfront payment. You know how costly this stuff gets."

Naruto sighed heavily. "I'll come by tomorrow with the money." Naruto waved as he walked out the store. _'__I guess I'll go check up on some other people._'__

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Naruto found his way to the Inuzuka Clan's district. He knew he was in the right place as he glanced around and noticed a greater density of shinobi with red fang marks on their cheeks walking around with their fellow dogs.

Naruto walked around until he found a familiar face. He waved his hand out, calling to his friend. "Yo! Kiba!"

Kiba's head swiveled from his companion, Akamaru, to Naruto. He raised his hand, greeting his friend as Naruto jogged to his side. "Yo, Naruto. What's up man? You been gone for several months."

"Well, you know. Hokage sending me on those damn S-ranked missions, I was also visiting the other countries, trying to build ties with them."

"Well, we already have a solid relationship with the Sand Village. The Cloud Village is fair better than it was years ago. Any luck with the Stone Village and the Mist Village?"

"Eh. The Mist Village is coming around, slowly. Onoki of the Stone Village is a pain. He's really set in his old ways and don't want to bend."

Kiba couldn't help but laugh. "So I heard a little rumor, Naruto. Seems you got a new student." Kiba commented with an all-too-knowing grin.

"Yeah. I'm training Hinata's little sister, Hanabi. She's away on a mission right now, but she should be back in the next few days."

"Is that all?" Kiba asked, slightly deflated. _'__I heard more, but-_'__

As if Naruto knew what was running through his mind at instant, he stared back with a cold glare. "That is all."

Kiba clearly heard the underlying tone in his voice. _'__Sensitive subject, don't bring it up, got it!_'__ Kiba made a mental note not to tread on those grounds again.

"So anything new with you Kiba?"

"I got a genin team now." Kiba grunted. "They're annoying as hell!"

Naruto busted out laughing. _'__Kiba. In change of kids. Annoying him! Oh, I would pay to see that!_'__

Knowing that grin on Naruto's face, it was easy for Kiba to know what was running through his mind. "Yeah yeah, wait until you have a team." Kiba remarked darkly. "You won't be laughing then."

The effect was instant. His thoughts started kicking into 5th gear. Naruto started to panic slightly. _'__What if I had someone like Konohamaru, or even worse…_'__ Sweat began pouring out of his face as his body started to shiver._ _'_MYSELF!_'__ He would probably lose all patience faster than he could eat a bowl of ramen.

__'_Note to self, thank Hanabi for being such a good student._'__

"Hey, Naruto, you hungry?"

As if his body heard the question, his stomach replied with a large growl. "Heh heh heh." Naruto bashfully scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…"

"Lets go then! We'll pick up Choji and go to barbecue!"

* * *

Dishes holding a variety of raw meat was placed before the 3 men. Practically drooling, they quickly placed as much meat as possible over the grill. The smell of cooking meat wafted to Choji, literally causing his mouth to water over.

"Oh man! It smells even better than last time!" Choji exclaimed as he stared at the meat, hoping his anticipation would, by some miracle, cook the meat faster.

"So what have you been up to Choji?" Naruto asked.

Choji snapped out of it, hearing the question asked by his friend. "My father is preparing me to become the next clan head." He sighed heavily. "It's not fun at all. I rather be a sensei for the next generation, but apparently this has to come first."

"Clan head huh? Must be a lot of work."

"It is Naruto. You don't even know."

Naruto sighed heavily. "But I have a feeling I will know soon enough."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

Choji raised an eyebrow to Kiba's question. "Don't you know? You do know who Naruto's parents are, right?"

"Well, yeah, the 4th Hokage."

"And he's a Uzumaki…"

"Soooo…"

Choji smacked his forehead. "There are no other Namikaze or Uzumaki in the village."

"Aaaand?" Kiba asked, getting impatient.

"He's the sole heir to not just 1, but 2 clans of the village, am I right Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and hanged his head low. Kiba let out a whistle. "Damn. Double the pressure. Good thing I don't have to worry. My mom won't let me take over until I beat her, and she's never holds back in a fight." Kiba shivered, recalling the last time his mother fought him.

He was pretty heated at the time, and ended up saying the one thing he never should have said. Someone along the lines of 'Like how you chased out Dad'. He always rebuked this thought in his head, but that day he made the grave mistake of uttering that line out loud.

Needless to say, his mother and her companion tore him up so bad, there was barely anything left of his clothes, including that expensive leather jacket. He eventually got a new one, which is the same one he wears now, but man, it burned a hole in his wallet.

After snapping back from his memories, he noticed Naruto and Choji already eating. His mouth hanging wide open, completely appalled that his friends started without him. He decided to start eating twice as fast just to gain grounds and catch up with his friend.

He didn't even wait to cool down the meat before chomping into it, which caused him to sorely burn his tongue. Much to his pain and grief, this sadly ended up costing him even more time, ultimately leaving him out a significant portion of the meat.

* * *

「29th of April」

The next day rolled around faster than wanted. Naruto spent the better half of the morning visiting the bank, withdrawing the amount necessary for Tenten. He found his way to Tenten's shop with his wallet, Gama-chan, bursting at the seams.

He opened the door, the bell chiming upon his arrival. Tenten turned her sight upward, catching a glimpse of the blonde shinobi. "Hey Naruto."

Naruto casually raised his hand in response to Tenten. "Yo Tenten. How is your day going?"

"Going as good as it can. I take it you brought the money."

"Yeah." Naruto simply replied, pulling out his frog pouch.

Tenten let out a giggle as she saw the frog. "Still using that old thing."

"Yeah. Even after all of it's wear and tear, it still hangs on." Naruto placed his frog pouch on the counter and pried open it's mouth. Several large bills burst forth.

"How did you even fit that much in him without tearing the seams?"

"Very carefully."

Tenten couldn't help but laugh. She could only imagine Naruto trying to stuff so much into the poor wallet. She sat there and counted the money. She knew Naruto wouldn't try to swindle her, but she still didn't trust his counting skills. Sure enough, the full amount is there.

"Okay, Naruto. The minerals should be here in a few days. It will take at least another week for me to finish the 10 kunai."

"That's fine Tenten. I'm in no rush to get them." Naruto grabbed his near empty wallet and tucked it away. A moment past in silence between the two, causing a slight awkward tension between the two.

Naruto was never really that good at idle conversation. He knew that just to ask questions, and give answers, but he always had a harder time with those of the opposite gender, whether he viewed them as friends, or slightly more.

Naruto shifted his feet slightly, catching Tenten to notice his tension. _'__What got him all fidgety?_'__

Naruto mulled over his thoughts for a minute, wondering if he should ask her or not. "Hey, Tenten, have you eaten yet?"

A small smile found it's way to her face. _'__Aww. He's worried about me._'__ Tenten took a pose, acting like she was really pondering.

Naruto quickly lifted both his hands up, waving them frantically. "You don't have to join me. I-I just thought that you might not have left the store yet to go eat and stuff, so I wanted to invite you and all."

Tenten could help but chuckle at Naruto. He always talked goofy when he got nervous. _'__He's too nice._'__ She decided to stop messing around with him and nodded. "Sure, I would be happy to eat with you."

Naruto passively scratched the back of his neck, blushing lightly as he gave his trademark grin. "You wanna go now?"

Tenten nodded in agreement as she followed him out the door, placing a sign up and locking her store behind her.

* * *

Naruto led the way to the main dining district of the village. While there were numerous restaurants throughout the entire village, this was where most of them were at. During the walk to this district, Naruto informed Tenten of all the places he's been to during his recent travels.

She was impressed that he left and started seeing the world, much like his sensei, Jiraya-sama. She never really knew the man, but she still knew about him. One of the 3 legendary Sannins of the Leaf Village.

She knew that he died while fighting Pein. Naruto was devastated when he found out. She knew he saw him as a father, much like how viewed Tsunade as a mother. Even after losing such close people to him, he was still smiling.

She looked to him for strength. She looked to him for guidance. When she heard Neji died, she couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it until she saw his body after the war. She lost the man she fell in love with. They never had the chance to properly date, so she can't say she lost her boyfriend. Nonetheless, she lost someone she loved all the same.

When she was falling into the depths of despair, when everyone else was there standing by her side to get her through, it was ultimately Naruto who saved her. It wasn't him alone, but he did the most for her. He did the one thing no one else could've pulled off. He made her love him.

He dated her while she was depressed. He would work day and night to get her through her sorrows. He toiled through the weeks, bringing smiles and laughter into her life every day. He would caress her hair. He would hold her in a warm embrace. No matter how much time passed, he never complained.

She knew she wasn't easy to deal with. She was highly emotional and would cry at the drop of a hat, but Naruto stayed by her side. Waking early in the morning to see her. Staying up late to say good night when she fell asleep. He was always there for her to lean on without fail. He was the most dependable boyfriend.

If she wanted it, the two of them would've never of broken up. Naruto was just that nice. He didn't mind spending his life with her, not the the slightest, but Tenten still felt guilty. She felt like she forced him into being her boyfriend figure through guilt, no matter how many times he said otherwise. She couldn't tie him down like that, so once she was better, she broke it off and said thanks.

He was sadden, but he understood. He always liked her, just a little, and it grew and grew, more and more, as they dated longer and longer. His affections towards her was always genuine. It started with helping her get over Neji. He wanted to do everything he could to help her, but over time, it grew from that to simply wanting to care for her.

Even after they broke up. Even after he understood why she did it. Even after telling her that he felt no guilt. That he truly did love her. Even after all that, he knew he had to move on for her. He didn't want her to feel guilty any more, so he moved on.

Months passed and she was torn up when she heard that Hinata and him were dating. She knew she had no place to be jealous, but after seeing the warmth on his face when she saw the two of them together, she… She receded.

It was only temporary. She managed to pull herself out of that rut by herself that time. She knew it was better for him, and her Hinata. She knew how long Hinata was chasing after Naruto. Another reason why she ended things with Naruto.

She knew how much her friend loved him. She not only felt guilty for forcing him to be her boyfriend in replacement of Neji, but she felt she stole him from Hinata. To this day, she still didn't understand why Naruto chose to be with her over Hinata after the war, so she reasoned it was because she manipulated him.

Even so, after Hinata ended it, Tenten lost it. She saw the expression in Naruto's face, or should she say lack there of. That very day, she ripped Hinata a new one. She was pissed that the man she loved was going through so much pain, even after she herself put Naruto through the same pain.

Needlessly to say, this put a large strain on the friendship between Hinata and Tenten, if you can even call it that now a day. They would be polite with each other, but nothing more. They only talked to each other when necessary. Hinata didn't forgive her for 'stealing' Naruto from her after the war, and Tenten didn't forgive her for breaking Naruto's heart.

Even so, with the pain of 2 failed relationships, Naruto still smiled. She guessed that those failed relationships was one of the reasons he left the village to see the world multiple times. He needed time to himself to get over his pains. If he didn't, the awkward tension between them would always be there.

Even so, after those few years, they've become friends just like before. A little awkward, yes, but still good friends. And here they were, eating out together in a restaurant. Sharing laughters and memories together, catching up on lost time.

This relationship they had was closer than friends, but farther than lovers. A bond unique to them. Not even Naruto and Hinata had this bond between them. Not even the pink haired kunoichi he chased after for so long had this close of a bond with him. This was her most treasured bond with the man that would stand by her and help her no matter what.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Hmmm…. I hope you all like what I wrote. Just in case you all are wondering, no. This won't be a harem. Just crush that thought. Naruto has dated in the past, so he has some experience, but not much. He never dated Sakura. Also, Sakura is married to Sasuke, if you didn't pick up on that.

I didn't want to get too detailed with the relationship between Tenten and Naruto. I'll save that for another time. Keep it interesting. I hope you all liked that little curve ball though. I'll intentionally start explaining more and more about what has happened over 4 years after the war.

Also, if you are confused, after the war, with Neji's death, Naruto dated Tenten, then dated Hinata. Naruto dated Tenten for a good while before they broke up. Naruto also dated Hinata for a while before they had to break it up due to an arrange marriage with Hinata to someone else. That will be revealed with the later chapters.

I know, pretty harsh isn't it. Clan forces a couple to split 'cause they have different plans. It wasn't Hiashi's fault, I'll tell you that, but that's also for another chapter down the road.

Also, sorry for the late release. I had a lot of studying to do. We got a test coming up very soon. As soon as this is posted, I'm gonna start working on the next chapter.

If you notice anything wrong, any errors, confused about anything, have suggestions, or critiques, write a review! I'll reply in the next chapter!

* * *

**Replies to Chapter 4 Reviews**

Ryuujin96: Thank you very much. I'm happy you like how Naruto's character is. There is potential for him. He isn't the smartest one of the village, but he isn't stupid either. As for him, he can figure out how to do things, but not understand how it works.

After he gets it to work, or after failing enough time, he goes to the library, which is filled with a lot of scrolls and manuals, and he sends clones to read books pertaining to what he's having difficulty. Of course, he's not going to be instantly smart. Just because you read something doesn't mean you understand it.

He typically has to do this several times and seek guidance before it finally clicks in his head. Giving him a 4 year gap gives me PLENTY of time for him to of molded into what I want him to be.

As for Hanabi, she's… A tomboy princess? Kinda. She knows what's not proper and such, and will be embarrassed by little things, but she's still got her tomboy side. That's what I'm trying to go for.

Also, thank you for catching the error in the sentence structure! Sometimes I just start typing and don't bother to check. Even when I do, there is just too much, and when I read it, I read it how I wanted it to sound, not necessarily how it's typed out. So again, thank you for helping me!

Rhafi uzumaki: Happy you like it.

warrof: I delved into it just a little. The relationship side of Naruto will be delved into… eventually. It has to be timed right. It will probably be done through recollections between the girls who dated him, and/or when Hanabi asks. Only time will tell.

If you find any more mistakes, let me know via review or pm. Thank you very much for taking the time to spot them out and informing me!

Kisame Hoshigaki: Happy you like it. Here is the next chapter!

* * *

**Edits**

22APR14: Corrected typo pointed out by warrof.

27APR14: Replaced all words of Hyuga with Hyūga.

30APR14: Rating changed to M due to content of Chapter 6.

04MAY14: Finished tweaking this chapter and making some corrections. Still far from what I want it to be like, but it will do for now.

05MAY14: Replaced Jonin with Jōnin and Chunin with Chūnin.

11MAY14: Changed section at the top stating when the chapter was posted and when it was last updated.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

* * *

\- Chapter 5 -

\- COMPLETE -


	6. A Clan's Seal

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter posted 30APR14 -

\- Last updated 12MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _w__hispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An **emphasis on a word** in thought.'_

**_"Bijū or the sort speaking."_**

**_'Bijū_ or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bij**ū's sound effect or action of some effect.*****

**Title.**

**Section.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

Hey guys, hope you all are doing well. Been reading quite a few good stories, so I haven't been trying as much as I should've when I get to the new chapters of this story. Sorry. Some of them are so good I just can't stop reading them.

But, I placed some time off and I'm sure I'll be getting some good amount done today, especially after I do my run. I also had a test I needed to study for on Friday, so there was that too.

This chapter is going to get a bit heavy with fuinjutsu, or sealing techniques. I'll be explaining a bit more about 1 of the few seals Naruto has on him. There isn't much sealing techniques in the series, so I want to explore this a lot.

Naruto has not, by any means, mastered fuinjutsu. He knows a few here and there, and is a bit creative in their application, but that's it. He's still trying to understand some of the scrolls he found from his clan's homeland, Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden by Whirling Tides, or something like that, that's in the Land of Whirlpools.

Also, a warning. It gets a bit heavy in theory regarding both the physical and spiritual energy that makes up chakra. Well, not too heavy, but they theories are just that. Theories. They haven't been proven, but they make sense to me, so I'll include my own theories.

* * *

**Previous Chapter**

She knew how much her friend loved him. She not only felt guilty for forcing him to be her boyfriend in replacement of Neji, but she felt she stole him from Hinata. To this day, she still didn't understand why Naruto chose to be with her over Hinata after the war, so she reasoned it was because she manipulated him.

Even so, after Hinata ended it, Tenten lost it. She saw the expression in Naruto's face, or should she say lack there of. That very day, she ripped Hinata a new one. She was pissed that the man she loved was going through so much pain, even after she herself put Naruto through the same pain.

Needlessly to say, this put a large strain on the friendship between Hinata and Tenten, if you can even call it that now a day. They would be polite with each other, but nothing more. They only talked to each other when necessary. Hinata didn't forgive her for 'stealing' Naruto from her after the war, and Tenten didn't forgive her for breaking Naruto's heart.

Even so, with the pain of 2 failed relationships, Naruto still smiled. She guessed that those failed relationships was one of the reasons he left the village to see the world multiple times. He needed time to himself to get over his pains. If he didn't, the awkward tension between them would always be there.

Even so, after those few years, they've become friends just like before. A little awkward, yes, but still good friends. And here they were, eating out together in a restaurant. Sharing laughters and memories together, catching up on lost time.

This relationship they had was closer than friends, but farther than lovers. A bond unique to them. Not even Naruto and Hinata had this bond between them. Not even the pink haired kunoichi he chased after for so long had this close of a bond with him. This was her most treasured bond with the man that would stand by her and help her no matter what.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**A Clan's Seal**

「30th of April」

The sun was rising, bring forth it's unrivaled brilliance from a great distance. It cast it's light upon the whole village, bathing it in warmth, signifying the start of a new day. The sun, casting it's rays upon every surface it can, found it's way into a humble apartment.

Sleepy eyes began to stir from the intensity of the bright sun. Groggily, the shinobi with it's hair matching in color of the yellow sun stirred. Cursing the sun for it's brilliance, the ninja finally woke. Recollection of his dream has all but faded from his mind, but it mattered none to him.

With a great yawn, the man rubbed his eyes as he looked at the calendar. _'__1 more day._'__ The man thought to himself as he checked the date. _'__1 more day until she's back._'__

Naruto grunted as he pulled himself from his bead. His golden locks all a mess from sleeping soundlessly the past 8 hours. He slowly shuffled his way to the restroom for his daily morning routine.

After refreshing his body and clearing his thoughts, he threw on a casual pair of black cargo pants and a burnt orange t-shirt with the Uzumaki's Clan symbol printed in red on the back, large and proudly. He slipped on his black shinobi boots and wore a wrist band he had for a long time.

He knew it was time to talk to Hiashi once again. It has come to him to take the training to the next level. He was still debating whether he should or not, considering he was still a bit uncertain about Hanabi's apparent thirst for power, but it seemed to of calmed down over the few weeks.

She has built her chakra levels high enough to where she could safely summon 3, maybe 4 kage bunshins. At least, she should be able to. He hasn't taught her the jutsu yet. That will be also be part of the next step of her training.

He grinned lightly at his imagination to what Hiashi's reaction will be. He was sure he could convince him, but he also knew Hiashi would want everything pertaining to the seal he would think about putting on Hanabi.

Naruto looked over to his table. A large amount of scrolls laid out, unrolled across the wooden round table, each scroll criss-crossing in every direction. The memories of last night's event washed over his mind.

He spent hours after eating with Tenten, looking over the scrolls. Some were his clan's scroll, some were his own, with his personal notes to help understand the parts of the scrolls he didn't quite get after researching for countless hours in Konoha's Library.

The memory of how dusty the air was in that library almost made him sneeze. Almost.

He sighed, kicking himself mentally for not cleaning up the mess of unfurled scrolls before going to sleep. He grabbed one scroll that had a repeated array of simple sealing symbols drawn upon the surface. He rolled up the rest of the scrolls and placed them upon each of the sealing symbols.

He made a half-tiger hand seal and the scrolls vanished with a puff of smoke. He rolled the scroll and slipped it into his pants pocket. He stomach roared with hunger, so before setting out, he decided to have a quick, simple breakfast

Upon devouring his victim that was the bowl of cereal and toast, he grabbed his headband, tied it around his forehead and headed out.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the Hyuga compound. A new set of faces were standing guard at the main entrance this morning.

"Good morning Uzumaki-Sama!" One of the Hyuga guards replied cheerfully. "Anything we may help you with?"

"Absolutely!" Naruto gleefully replied with a wide grin. "I need to speak to Hiashi Hyuga. Can you guide me?" Naruto requested of the guard as he was not overly familiar with the layout of the Hyuga's grounds.

The guards glanced to each other. Each of them raised an eyebrow in curiosity in what the village's hero would want to talk to their clan's head about. No matter what it was, it had to be important. The other guard spoke up this time.

"I can't guarantee the Head will see you, but I'm more than willing to take you to him to ask for a moment of his time."

"That's good enough. Thank you!"

The guards nodded to each other before the one on the left dismissed himself from his post.

Naruto quietly followed the guard through many turns. Even as he tried to keep track when he turned left, when he turned left, and when he stayed straight, he still quickly ended up losing track of the directions. _'__Damn! I need to write this stuff down if I'm going to have a chance walking through here without getting lost. Everything looks too much alike for me to pick out any landmarks in this damn place!_'__

After giving up and mindlessly following, the guard stopped suddenly. He raised his hand, signalling to come to a halt. Naruto snapped back to reality and caught this gesture just in time before bumping into the guard.

Finally back from his thoughts, he started to overhear some voices from beyond the paper-thin double doors.

An elderly voice spoke in haste. "Hiashi-san, we must do this soon."

An well-worn voice of Hiashi penetrated past the paper doors, clearly annoyed with the other person in the room. "I will decide when to do it."

"But Hinata-san has already wed and is pregnant. As per the clan's tradition, the seal must be placed on Hanabi-san. Not only that, she should be wed as well."

"Do you forget your place?! I am the Head of this clan! You already stepped passed your boundaries when you went against what I said and force my First Daughter's hand! I will **not** let you do this a second time, **understood?!**"

__'_Yikes! I felt the bite in that!_'__ Naruto visibly tensed up by the tone of Hiashi's voice.

"Hiashi-sama! You forget why you are even the head in the first place?! We already allowed you to keep the seal off 1 of your daughters long enough." The other voice said, clearly trying to insinuate something.

"No, I dare not forget. That is why I will do my best to keep the same fate from falling upon either of my daughters!"

"It is your job to **do** what your elders tell you to do."

"No!" Hiashi called out in a warning voice. "It is my job to **listen** to the elders. I am the head, and my rules are to be absolute."

"You are veering too far from our clan's traditions, your actions are becoming too extreme, and I will not tolerate it Hiashi-sama!."

"I care not if you will tolerate it. Now, you are dismissed."

A grunt echoed out as the paper doors opened. Visibly angry, the old man looked to his right, noticing both the guard, and his escort, Naruto, his expression became even more fierce. He scowled at the jinchuriki before him before abruptly turning 180, walking away.

__'_What the hell did I do to piss off that old geezer? Pull that stick out of your ass why don't ya!_'__

A heavy sighed escaped from the room which Naruto still couldn't see, but knew it had to come from Hiashi.

The guard lightly knocked against the open doors, alerting Hiashi of his presence.

"Yes?" Hiashi called out no name.

"Uzumaki-sama wishes to speak to you."

Another heavy sigh came forth from the room. "I shall see him."

The guard about-faced and nodded towards Naruto, gesturing that he could go in. The guard quickly proceeded to smartly walk off.

Naruto's eyes followed the guard. He didn't notice, but the guard had a militaristic march to him. _'__Man, they must be really up tight!_'__ Naruto silently commented to himself before walking into the room, seeing Haishi visibly messaging his temple.

"Safe to assume you overheard our discussion, Naruto-sama."

"Hehe…" Naruto awkwardly chuckled as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah. Sorry about that Hiashi, couldn't help but to overhear that through such thin walls."

Hiashi lifted his head and gave a steady, unreading gaze to Naruto. "I wasn't aware we were on first name basis, Naruto-sama."

Catching the heavy hint dropped on his foot. "Sorry Hiashi-sama. You know I'm not all that good-"

"-Well"

Naruto paused for a moment before catching why Hiashi said well. _'__Damn grammar freak._'__ He let out a light sigh before continuing. "-well at being respectful."

"I commend your efforts for at least trying." Hiashi somberly stated. "So what do I owe this pleasure, Naruto-sama."

Naruto closed the double doors behind him, knowing it still wouldn't make much of a difference, reflecting how easily he heard the previous discussion. "I wish to enter the next stage of Hanabi's training when she returns from her escort mission."

Hiashi's ears perked at the lack of honorifics for his youngest daughter, but continued on. "And what does that entail?" Haishi questioned. _'__Knowing Naruto-sama, it's probably something completely ridiculous._'__

"I want to teach her the Kage Bunshin and place a seal on her-"

__'_A what-_'__ "No!" Hiashi stated firmly.

"Oh come on, you didn't even let me-" Naruto cried out excitedly.

"**No!**" Haishi stated firmly yet again.

"At least let me explain the seal!" Naruto cried out for a second time.

Hiashi leveled his gaze with his daughters sensei. "Last time I checked, you had no experience with seals."

"Well, I don't have _much_ experience with seals, but I am good with some!"

Hiashi mentally sighed as he massaged his temple. _'__What the hell is wrong with this guy…_'__ Hiashi removed his hands from his temples and asked his next question. "What does the seal do?"

"Happy you asked!" Naruto excited replied, leaving traces of apprehension upon Hiashi's otherwise stoic face.

__'_This guy is far too energetic…_'__

"The seal will train the body's muscles, increase the chakra reserves, and help with chakra control!"

Hiashi instantly shaped his face to show no trace of his inner emotions. _'__What. The. Hell._'__ Hiashi composed himself and trained his voice before speaking. "How?"

Naruto grinned wider than he had ever seen before pulling out a single scroll and unrolled it upon the table separating them. Hiashi glanced at the unfurled scroll. He noticed several simple array of sealing symbols throughout the scroll. Before he could even raise a question, Naruto spread a bloody thumb through 8 of the sealing symbols.

Naruto formed a half-tiger seal and focused on his chakra-infused blood. He swiped his right hand outward as he gave the command. "Unseal!" Smoke burst forth from the scroll, leaving 8 other scrolls of all different colors in it's wake.

Naruto brushed 7 of the 8 rolled-up scrolls off the desk as he rolled up the the only open one before also brushing it off.

Hiashi was visibly appalled that Naruto would just start making a small mess in his space without even thinking, but before he could reprimand Naruto on his actions, he noticed the only scroll on the table was now fully open.

"This scroll has my personal notes about the Chakra Counterflow Seal." Naruto picked out a different scroll from the pile laying on the ground and unrolled it on the table, right above the other one. "This is my notes regarding the Weight Seal, and my variant, the Movement Resistant Seal." Naruto picked out a 3rd scroll and laid it out on the table, finally taking up the full width of the table. "This is notes about combining the 2 into 1 seal. It's what I use."

Hiashi looked up, meeting his eyes with Naruto's. "I know of the Weight Seal. Both Gai and Lee use them. I do not know of this Chakra Counterflow or the Physical Resistance Seal though."

"That's because it's one of my clan's personal seals, along with my own seal."

"What does the Chakra Counterflow Seal do?"

"Just to be sure, you are familiar with seals correct? I would assume so since your clan uses their own personal seal." Naruto questioned with a slight tone of disdain in his voice.

Hiashi solemnly nodded. He picked up on Naruto's voice. He read the underneath of the underneath. Naruto hated the seal the Hyuga clan forces upon the branch members. He did not approve of it, but had no right to say anything against it.

"It takes the excess chakra in the body, and makes it flow against itself. This creates a resistance for the chakra to flow, making jutsu harder to perform."

Hiashi looked at the blond shinobi across with with a quizzical look in his eyes. "Why would you want to do that?"

"For 2 reasons." Naruto simply replied, but gaining Hiashi's full attention. "First reason is to increase the chakra reserves. Your reserves increase over time the more you use your chakra. Repeatedly draining your chakra will force your body to create more. You can also create more by increasing your physical and spiritual energies in the body through training."

"The second reason is for increase chakra control. If you can maintain high chakra control while there is heavy resistance against the flow, imagine how much better you will be once you remove that resistance. It will take a little to to adjust afterwards, but the rewards are worth it."

"And what is the purpose of combining the Chakra Counterflow with the Physical Resistance Seal?"

"As stated earlier, you can also grow your chakra by increasing your physical energy, by training the body and it's physical endurance, and increasing your spiritual energy, through meditation and experience and mental endurance."

"The Weight Seal applies weight to an object. The Physical Resistance Seal evenly distributes weight to the entire body, creating a physical resistance to all bodily motions. This will train every muscle through daily practice."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes as he asked his next question. "Can these be easily removed?"

"Yes. The seals can be removed or placed into an inactive state."

With his eyes steeled, Hiashi asked the most important question of their discussion. "What are the risks involved?"

Naruto sighed heavily. He knew this question was going to come up. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Hiashi asked, cocking an eyebrow, pressing the disbelief.

Naruto sighed heavily. "Nothing unless too much is applied too fast."

"And what would happen if it is applied too fast.?" Hiashi could imagine what would happen, but he still had to confirm.

"Severe tearing of the muscles and destruction of the chakra circulatory system." Naruto solemnly gave his answer.

"That's a very, **very** heavy price." Hiashi stated as shadows casted over his eyes.

"It is. That's why I will turn crank up the difficulty gradually."

"Can you ensure you won't mess this up."

"I promise I won't-"

"-I don't want a promise Naruto-sama. I want you to give me a 100% guarantee that nothing will happen to my youngest daughter."

"Hiashi-sama. With all due respect, I can't give you anymore than my word on my Nindo that I won't put Hanabi in any risk."

__'_That's a second time he didn't use honorifics for my daughter."_ He gave a heavy sighed. _"I can't rightfully reprimand him on that. She is his student even if she is a member of the House House of 1 of the 4 noble clans of this village._'__

He knew how serious Naruto was about his Nindo. The whole village knew. He sighed heavily again before giving his answer. "Understood. I give you permission, but do be careful."

Naruto collected his scrolls and placed them once more on the single scroll with an array of sealing symbols. Before he sealed them, Hiashi asked a question.

"You only showed me 3 of the scrolls. What are they other 5 for?"

"They are the actual scrolls of my clan regarding the sealing array for the 2 seals, the chants for them both for when I perform the sealing, and further notes on how to combine seals together."

"Why did you unseal them in the first place?" He could guess why, but he still wanted confirmation.

"To show that if you really wanted to know, I would show you even my clan's own scrolls to convince you."

Hiashi gazed at Naruto with respect. Something he rarely did. _'__He's willing to give up a few of his clan's secrets to further train his student. Either he's really stupid or really brave. Maybe… Maybe both._'__

Hiashi waved his hand. "Your faith has been proven well enough. I will not pry any further into your clan's secrets unless I must."

Naruto bowed and gave his thanks. He sealed away the scrolls before leaving the room, taking it with him. Upon his exit, Hiashi's voiced called out.

"Naruto-sama. Please do not betray my trust in you."

Naruto uttered only 2 words. "I won't." Even though it was only 2 words, 2 simple words, they were cemented. Nothing will break them. He wouldn't allow it.

* * *

Later that day, Hanabi and her team filed into the town, passing through the main gates. Decked out in a tan jacket with a white fur hood, the black sleeves of her jacket reached down to her elbows. Underneath the partially-unzipped jacket was her black mesh t-shirt, the sleeves extending slightly farther than the short-sleeve jacket. From her hands to her elbow was wrapped in a white cloth. Her pair of black pants extended halfway down her calf. Fishnet sleeves covered the distance from the bottom of her pants to the top of her black ninja boots.

She smiled as they passed the gate, making their way to the Hokage Office to give a report to Tsunade. Their mission was easy to say the least. Her team expected some combat, but nothing happened. It was a easy walk to and from the Land of Waves. They even got a chance to cross The Great Naruto Bridge.

She heard stories, but she didn't actually believe the bridge was real! The village welcomed them happily, being ninja's of the same village of the shinobi the bridge was named after. The town was bustling with business when they dropped off their escort, who was hoping to set up shop in the town.

Shorter than she expected, her team leader, Anko, and the rest of her team were already climbing the stairs to the Hokage Office. After this, she would report home, inform her father of the successful C-Ranked mission and find her sensei.

Just as Anko was about to knock on the solid double oak doors, there was a clattering of sounds and several yells.

"YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!" A clearly feminine voice ranged out from the door.

"Come one Baa-chan!" A voice unmistakably belong to a male ranged out.

"HELL NO, GAKI!" A loud THUNK could be heard, along with the visual of a dent in the wooden door protruding to the other side.

"Baa-chan! You have to be careful with those paperweights! You're going to kill someone with them!"

"The only one I'm going to kill is YOU!" Another thunk ranged out. Clearly it missed and hit the other door.

__'_The Hokage wants to kill someone… Oh man, he must've done something wrong. And where does that person get off, calling her grandma! She's the Hokage for crying out loud!_'__ Hanabi looked up to her leader. She noticed something odd with Anko. A grin was stretching across her face. A grin that she was most uncomfortable with seeing.

"I already got permission from Hiashi, Baa-chan!"

The mood suddenly changed, even though the team couldn't see anything.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT EARLIER!" Surely enough, another paperweight slammed against the right door.

"Baa-chan, if you keep throwing those paperweights, you're going to break a door… Again…" An audible sigh could be heard through the damaged doors.

"Who's fault do you think it is that MY DOORS KEEP BREAKING!" Surely enough, with the 4th paperweight thrown, a door burst off it's hinges and came crashing against the wall behind it. The team peaked around the door to see who it was.

Anko knew who it was all along. The sight just confirmed it for her. _'__Found my new toy._'__

"So…" A the blond male asked a question. "Can I?"

The blond woman sighed heavily. "You can, as long as someone else who is experienced with seals is there." She looked up and caught a glance to the 4 people standing by the now missing door. A grin stretched across her face as she saw the Tokubetsu Jōnin.

"Ah, Anko. Perfect timing. Come on in." Tsunade waved, instructing her to bring her team in with her.

Anko paced her way to Naruto. "Well, well, well. If it isn't The Hero."

__'_Oh shit. It's the crazy snake lady._'__ Naruto glanced around, not knowing exactly where to look considering her all-too-revealing attire. "H-Hi A-Anko…"

She wrapped her arms around Naruto and whispered into his ears. "I'm a bit pent up after this mission. Mind helping me relieve my _stress_? I'll even make it up to you for scaring you in that Chūnin Exam all those years ago. _With interest_."

Hanabi just gaped at her sensei, who was currently flirting, quite heavily, with her other sensei! She knew Anko had a bit of a wild side, for lack of a better term, but she didn't realize just how bold her wild side was. _'__God damn! She's like a dog in heat with how horny she is._'__

__'_I swear, she's gets off more by teasing than actually having sex. Crazy snake lady._'__ Before Naruto could give a verbal reply to either accept or deny her gesture, a loud cough was heard, unmistakably from the Hokage.

The 5th Hokage only said a single word. "Report."

Anko swiftly stepped away from Naruto and stood at attention. "Escort mission to Land of Waves was successful. No encounter with enemies!"

"Good to hear. Your team is dismissed. Anko and Naruto. Stay." Tsunade said with a final tone.

Hanabi glanced to her blond sensei, seeking for an answer.

"Head home. I'll find you later."

Hanabi replied with a simple nod before leaving. She wanted to know what the Hokage had to say to her 2 sensei, but from Tsunade's voice, she wasn't allowed to be there. _'__Why did Naruto say he had my father's permission?_'__ She questioned herself as she walked down the stairs. _'__Only way to find out is to ask Father I guess._'__

The last things she heard before was the cries of "Indecency" and "Perverted", along with "Disgrace" and "Unbelievable". All intermittent with the sounds of sizable or heavy objects being thrown against the walls.

* * *

Hanabi sighed heavily as she walked towards the main gate. She already informed her father about the completion of her mission. A small, and she mean very, very, very small smile was on his face, for the briefest of moments.

She also asked her father about Naruto receiving permission from him, but he stayed silent on the matter. Her mood was visibly beginning to sour. If her father wouldn't tell her, then she had to go ask her sensei. And she had a feeling he wouldn't either for some reason.

So she decided to wait by the entrance of the Hyuga Compound. Surely enough, she made a sound decision by doing so. In the distance she saw, to her displeasure, both her teachers making their way. The purple-haired Jōnin making obvious passes at the blond Jōnin, which he returned with awkward laughs, trying to shrug off her attempts, each time increasing the size of her grin.

Naruto, seeing his student waiting for him at the gate, took this time make a distraction and waved her over. "Hey, Hanabi, lets go! I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Are you gonna treat me too, stud?" Anko howled out a laughter at Naruto's blush. Hanabi ran up to her sensei, wondering where they were going.

"Let's go to-"

"-My dango shop!" Anko took the lead, grabbing Hanabi's hand before she could say no.

"But I was going to-"

"She's my student too Naruto. And I just finished my mission with her, so I'm going to treat her."

Naruto blinked a few times. _'__Damn. She takes charge too fast!_'__

"And you can treat ME!" Anko called out with a laugh, motioning Naruto to follow.

"Dammit!" Naruto sighed heavily as he followed. He knew it was best for both him and Anko for him to do what she said. She was a handful any other way.

* * *

The trio arrived at Anko's favorite shop. This was her's Ichiraku's. To her, nothing could come close to her dangos. Especially the anko and mitarashi dongos. Fitting her name is that of her favorite types of dangos.

"Stupid Dango girl." Naruto muttered under his breath, in obvious displeasure of not being able to eat at Ichiraku's.

"I don't wanna hear it, Ramen boy!" Anko laughed as she saw the displeasure on his face. She couldn't help but toy with him. He had the best reactions to her antics. "Go ahead and make your order Hanabi. It's on me!"

Even though Hanabi didn't have the best relation with her sensei, she was still happy to have her. Especially a times like these. She walked up to the counter and ordered for 3 servings of chichi dangos. Several minutes later, a plate appeared with 3 skewers of chichi dangos, which Anko Mitarashi paid for.

"Yo Ramen freak. I'm ordering!"

"I heard you, Dango freak!" Naruto bantered back, none all too seriously. Anko playfully stuck her tongue out as she ordered 2 servings of Anko dangos and another 2 of Mitarashi dangos. Naruto decided to order 2 servings of the Bocchan dangos and another 2 servings of Anko dangos.

2 separate plates slid out moments later, each holding the orders. Naruto reluctantly pulled out his frog wallet and promptly paid for the dangos. The 3 of them sat at the near-by bench and began eating their respective dangos.

"Good job on that mission Hanabi." Anko remarked between bites of her dangos.

"It was easy enough. All we did was walk there and back."

"Yes, but you were able to keep your Byakugan open for a much longer time than previously. I bet we have a certain blond ninja to thank for that." Anko shifted her gaze to Naruto, who glanced back at Anko as he was eating his dangos. "Maybe I should thank you personally," She shifted next to him and whispered the next 2 words into his ears. "in bed."

Naruto leaned slightly away, blushing. "Anko, sometimes you go too far."

"Awwww. You think all my advances are just a game? What if I told you I really meant them? I'm hurt…" Anko shifted her gaze down and she started fidgeting with her fingers with a bashful look on her face.

Hanabi and Naruto were both awestruck by Anko's sudden change in demeanor. _'__It couldn't possibly be true. Not with how she always teasing me. But… That demeanor. That look in her eyes. It couldn't possibly be…_'__ Naruto's face began to flush pink.

An evil smirk stretched across her face and she let out a howling laughter. "It is too fun to tease you Naruto."

Naruto pouted as he started eating his dangos. Just as he was on the last 2, Anko swiped them from him and swiftly ate them with a smirk on her face. Naruto gapped at her, completely in disbelief that Anko just ate the last of his dangos.

"Yo Dango Freak! Why you go and do that?!"

"Because you know I love the Anko dangos the most!" She shifted even closer. "Of course, I wouldn't mind tasting your pair of dangos." Anko whispered the sexual innuendo into Naruto's ear.

"A-Anko-sensei! That's too much!" Hanabi finally spat out, completely appalled at her teachers behavior in public. _'__She's getting way too far out of hand! I never seen her tease anyone this much before._'__

"Awwww." Anko couldn't help but coo at Hanabi's remark after seeing how blushed she was. "Maybe you want me to focus on you?" She then shifted even closer, placing her lips near her little student's ear. "I'll be sure to take my time and toy with you slowly."

Anko felt a pull at the back of her collar. The hand pulled her back. "Ok Anko. Enough is enough." Naruto said firmly.

"Fine, fine. I had enough antics for the day. I'll catch you later, Naruto-kun!" Anko gave a sexy wink before running off laughing.

Naruto let out a heavy sigh before turning to Hanabi. "You ok? Anko can get a bit out of hands at times."

Hanabi breathed deeply a few times, reining in her emotions slowly but surely. "Yes. I'm fine. My question is how do you deal with her?"

"Just do my best to shrug it off. You'll learn in time with more exposure to her antics. Just one tip."

"Yes sensei?"

"Don't go with the flow. I made that mistake. She started gropping me and I seriously thought she was going to have her way with me in public. She won't back down, I promise you that."

Hanabi blushed slightly as the scene of Anko and Naruto having fierce sex appeared in her head. _'__GOD DAMMIT! FULL STOP! THINK NO FARTHER HANABI!_'__ Hanabi quickly resumed her deep breathing, gaining control of her thoughts once again.

Hanabi gave a deep sigh before asking her long-awaited question. "I overheard you talking to Tsunade earlier about receiving permission from my father about something. May I ask about what that would be?"

Naruto smirked in reply. "You'll find out tomorrow morning."

Hanabi's mood deeply soured once again. _'__Dammit. I knew he was going to do that! I KNEW IT!_'__ Hanabi sighed heavily. She knew she wouldn't win, so she would give up. "I guess I should head home now. When should we meet up tomorrow?"

"0800, sharp. Training Grounds 44."

__'_The Forest of Death!? Are you kidding me?! I have to go there AGAIN!?_'__ Hanabi sighed heavily at the recollection of her Chūnin exam. Least to say it was not pleasant. She was wrong. It was pleasant. As pleasant as it is to sleep on a cactus.

"Ok. I'll see you there then. Good night sensei."

"Good night Hanabi. See you tomorrow."

With that, the student and the teacher split ways, each heading towards their respective homes.

* * *

「1st of May」

Hanabi grumbled as the morning's sunlight poured into her room, stirring her from the sweet embrace that slumber held her in. She grunted once again in discontent. No matter how many times she went through this tedious ordeal, she would come to hate mornings every time.

After battling for 5 minutes, she decided that all hope was lost and there was no chance at winning. She begrudgingly sat up, much to her displeasure, wiping the sleep from her near-featureless eyes. A gentle yawn issued forth as she stretched the stiff portions of her body.

She swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up. Just like every other morning, she began the tradition of showering, brushing, and changing into a clear pair of her clothes. Today, she opted to wear the same style of clothes from yesterday, just a more clean variant.

Regardless as to what is to happen, she knew it would be a good day. After coming back from the C-Rank, she was given a mandatory one week break. The trek to the Land of Waves was long and slow, since it had to be done at the pace of a civilian. She began missing her village along with her blond sensei.

Eager to learn new things, she left her room and grabbed a quick bite to eat before leaving her compound with a piece of toast in her hand to eat on the way there. With a smile, she took the last few bites of her buttered-toast as she sped her way to the main gates.

She had to leave the village's wall to reach Training Grounds 44, or better known as the Forest of Death. In order to leave, she had to check out with the gate guards. Luckily she was a Chūnin, so she didn't have to have a Jōnin with her when she left the walls.

She dashed at a quick speed, making her way to the entrance of the Forest of Death. A training field so large it would be impossible to miss as long as you head in it's general direction. It was originally created for survival training. Toss a team or 2 in there, pick them up a week later. Usually reserved for Chūnin or higher. Genin would likely get themselves killed from the different types of beasts that laid lurking within.

__'_I really hope this won't be survival training._'__ Hanabi silently prayed as she neared towards the Main Gate of the grounds. There were numerous other gates surrounding the parameters, but this was the most common one as it was next to one of the 3 rivers that flowed as 1 through the training ground.

Sure enough, she spotted her sensei. Both of them. Anko seemed to be eating the last of her dangos and began playing with the wooden stick, while Naruto was making a few gestures with his hands, all the while making the tokubetsu Jōnin laugh.

Hanabi felt a pang of irritation at the sight, but quickly pushed it away. _"What goes on between them is no business of mine. 'Why is she here' would be the better question to ask._'__ She didn't have anything against her sensei with the older kunoichi, but she didn't understand why she would be here when it was time for her to train with her blond sensei.

Naruto glanced his way towards Hanabi's rushing figure and waved once their eyes met. "Hey Hanabi! You made it a bit early!" Naruto stood up and walked over to the locked gate with Anko and Hanabi in tow.

"I didn't want to be late, so I thought I should show up with at least some time to spare."

"That's a good thought to have. At least you're better than Kakashi-sensei in that aspect." Naruto chuckled as he thought of his white-haired sensei, and all the antics he created by showing up late every time. "Anko. If you so will."

Naruto stepped away as Anko grinned. "Certainly." She pulled out a key from her trench coat and slipped it into the gate, turning the key. A single clang softly echoed out from the lock, signifying it was now unlocked. She pushed the gate opened and walked in.

Naruto and Hanabi silently followed suit as they began walking alongside one of the rivers. "Naruto-sensei, what is it that we will be doing here?"

Naruto gave a small smile in reply. "You'll find out soon enough." With that, the 2 Jōnin broke off at a breakneck fast pace, leaving the Chūnin alone for just a second.

__'_Did they just… Those…_'__ Clearly seeing them still within her field of vision, she too took off, trying her best to keep up.

* * *

The trio reached the tower that was located 5 kilometers [little over 3 miles] into the the training ground. "I… I can't believe you just took off like that without even giving a warning!" Hanabi panted out, trying her best to catch her breath.

Both Jōnins busted out laughing. "If we wanted to leave you, we would've ran faster." Naruto teased his disciple as he pushed open one of the doors. They walked into a large circular room. To the side, there was a spiralling staircase huggin the outer wall, leading up. Naruto pointed up, signalling for them to go up a few floors.

"Hey, Hanabi, have you heard the rumor of the 4th floor of this tower?" Naruto asked, his face strangely stoic.

Hanabi tilted her head in a quizzical manner. "No, I haven't heard anything." She stated as they reached the 2nd floor.

"They say that whoever reaches the 4th floor of the Tower in the Training Ground 44," The mood suddenly became ominous as Naruto's face darken when he turned back to his student. "WILL DIE!" Naruto finished his sentence with a dark ominous tone.

Chills ran up Hanabi's spine. _'__He has got to be joking. There is no way the 4th floor is cursed. I mean, it is the Forest of Death, but still…_'__ Hanabi coughed. "I know you're lying."

"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow as the reached the landing of the 3rd floor."Well, why don't we just go up another level and test out that rumor." Naruto grinned as he went up first.

__'_He has to be kidding. I know he's going to pull a prank! I'm not scared of some silly rumor! I'll go up there and foil his prank._'__ Hanabi steeled herself as she carefully watched the blonds back as she climbed the stair. When they reached the top Naruto didn't move at all. _'__Why isn't he turning around. I know you're about to do something Naruto, you won't fool-_'__

Just then, a pair of hands snuck around Hanabi's back. Finger's pronged, ready to attack, the reach viciously for her sides, attacking her.

"EEP!" Hanabi quickly hissed out as she jumped 10 feet forward. She instantly landed, doing a 180 to see who attacked her from behind. To her surprise, Anko was there, her fingers moving seemingly independent of each other. A scowl grew across her face as Naruto and Anko busted out laugh.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY ANKO-SENSEI!"

"Oh, on the contrary, it was _very_ funny." Anko purred out, each word drenching in a different sense of pleasure. She reached her hand up, receiving a high-five in return from the blond ninja.

"Good job Anko. Good job!"

Hanabi pouted a bit at the older ninjas jokes on her.

"Well, enough is enough. Might as well get started." Naruto commented as he faced Anko. "Mind lighting up the room?"

"Roger!" Anko swiftly ran through 6 seals. _'__Rat. Tiger. Dog. Ox. Rabbit. Tiger._'__ Anko inhaled, filling her cheeks with chakra. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Several balls of fire shot out of her mouth, each racing to different areas of the circular room. Each of them hit a torch, bringing forth light into the room.

The room wasn't furnished at all. No doors, no windows. Only a set of stairs next to them and the bare, concrete ground. Naruto withdrew his scroll from his pocket and unfurled it across the floor.

"So are you going to tell me what we are doing here?" Hanabi asked.

"We are here to put a seal on you."

Hanabi's face twisted in fear. "Wait. Why?! You can't be serious!" Hanabi called out, her voice dripping with disbelief. "I shouldn't. Why are you-"

"Hanabi." Naruto called out firmly, silencing Hanabi, rooting her to the spot she stood. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's not your _clan's_ seal. It's mine."

Hanabi regained composure. "What do you mean your seal?"

"I mean just that. A seal I made for training." Naruto bit his thumb. He concentrated his chakra into his blood as he smeared it across 8 of the seals on the scroll. "Unseal!"

"What what does this seal do, exactly?" Hanabi asked, wanted to understand what she was getting into before accepting.

"It will help increase your chakra reserves, increase your chakra control, and work out all your muscles."

"But how?" Hanabi asked, not quite understanding.

Naruto sighed heavily and motioned for Hanabi to sit in the center of the room as he unfurled the 1st of the 8 scrolls. "Stay right there. I'll explain while I'm writing the seal, that way it saves us time. Ok?"

"Hai!" Hanabi returned an affirmative. She did ask Naruto to make her strong, and he was doing just that. _'__I have no reason to not trust him, but at the same time, I can't just blindly do what he says either. That would be foolish for a ninja to do._'__

Naruto unraveled a scroll that wasn't opened before at Hiashi. He glanced between the 2 of 3 scrolls pertaining to Chakra Counterflow Seal. And begun the tedious and arduous work of drawing out the seal immediately around Hanabi as he began the 1st makeup of the seal.

"Anko. Hanabi. Don't go blathering this off to just anyone, understood?"

Anko silently nodded, as she understood why. Hanabi didn't fully understood, so she thought it would be best to ask why. "Why? Is it forbidden or something?"

Naruto let a chuckle escaped. "No, not really. You do know of my clan. The Uzumaki Clan to be more specific, right?"

"I know they were a prominent clan in The Village Hidden by the Whirling Tides, in the Land of Waves. They were also related to the Senju, who founded our village."

"Yes, they were. Anything else? They should've taught more than that in history."

"They were skilled in fuinjutsu. So much so that everyone came to respect and fear them."

"Which lead to them being destroyed in war. If this gets out, well. We don't need another village destroyed, do we?"

Hanabi shook her head, understanding the complications behind this. Such a useful seal would be desired by all, and some would do anything to get their hands on it.

"Back to the seal." Naruto stated as he finished working immediately outward from behind her. "The Chakra Counterflow Seal takes a portion of the chakra inside of you and forces it to flow against itself. This spends up the chakra, and creates a resistance."

"You remember what I had you do for the first few weeks we trained?"

"You had me empty out the chakra in me over and over, so I could build more."

"That and I made you work out, increasing your physical energy."

Hanabi remembered what Naruto told her about chakra back when he was first training her. "That's right, because Chakra is made up of both Physical and Spiritual energy. So we trained physical, how do we trained spiritual?"

"That's the trickier of the 2 to train." Anko chimed in this time. "Spiritual energy can be trained through very few ways. Experience, meditating, or focusing on your emotions."

"Emotions? Hanabi focused her full attention on Anko that sat against the wall, who was mostly observing Naruto.

"Emotions are a very powerful thing. They can push you to perform beyond your limit. Of course, if you aren't careful, it can also kill you. The more powerful your emotion is, the more powerful your spiritual energy is. Same with your experience."

"What about meditating?"

"Since Spiritual energy comes from the mind, meditating is very important. Meditating is so you don't lose focus when you are in the middle of the fight. If you start to freak out, you can lose control. If you can quickly calm your mind, through exercising meditation, you can calm yourself even when in the heat of battle."

An expression of enlightenment dawned on Hanabi's face. "Oh, I see. So with this seal, I'll be able to do more physical training and chakra control in shorter time, allowing me more time to train my spiritual energy?"

"That is correct, Hanabi. You pick this up very fast." Naruto smiled as he looked back and forth between his scrolls, currently only halfway done with the first part of the seal.

"So, with the chakra flowing against itself, that will force the body to generate more to overcome the resistance, and when using chakra, I will need to gain better control of my chakra to use it effectively, despite the resistance."

Anko whistled at Hanabi's remarkable pace to piece the clues together. "Damn. Top of the class really means something, huh."

Hanabi blushed slightly at her sensei's comment. "I do my best." Hanabi waited a moment before asking another question. "So what is the other part of the seal."

"That would be the Weight Seal. Or a variant of it."

"You mean the same seal Gai and Lee use?" Anko asked. "Yeah, but they take it to the extreme. Me. Not so much." Naruto's comment earned a small chuckle from both kunoichi, as they couldn't argue that the 2 Green Beasts of Konoha do indeed, take their training to the extremes.

"So what is this variant that you speak of?" Anko quizzed Naruto, seemingly becoming more interested in poking his brain to satisfy her curiosity.

"The Physical Resistance Seal. This seal adds weight to every part of your body, causing resistance for every moment you make."

"Ah. I see why it's a variant. Instead of placing the Weight Seal to in inanimate object to increase it's weight, you changed the seal to where you can apply the entire weight on our skin."

"You would be correct in that Anko."

"How did you get that to work?" Hanabi asked as she watched her sensei finished the first seal.

"Care carefully." Naruto smirked.

Anko called out his bluff. "You probably botched it a lot and ended up hurting yourself before you got it to work, didn't you."

Naruto gave only replied with a sheepish grin, neither confirming nor denying Anko's accusation.

Anko sighed heavily. "Good think it's difficult to kill you. Anyone else probably would've died."

"Thank Kurama for that." Naruto scoffed. "Silly furball said he won't let anyone other than himself kill me. Not even myself."

Anko busted out laughing as his nickname for the demon sealed within him. While Hanabi's eyes just widen in shock. _"Can't believe he gave the fiercest demon a pet name."_

Naruto rolled up 2 of the scrolls regarding the Chakra Counterflow Seal and tossed them towards Anko, who deftly caught them.

He walked over and pulled out the 1st scroll regarding combining seals. He pulled open the scroll and study it's notes, refreshing his knowledge. He nodded to himself a few times and started to right a thin line of symbols around the current circle, seamingly to separate the first seal from whatever he would write next.

He tossed the scroll behind him without a single care and reached down, collecting another 2 scrolls. He unrolled one and gave a studious look at the scroll. He unfurled the second scroll, containing his notes regarding the Physical Restriction Seal. He glanced back and forth several times before, he started scribbling on the floor again.

8 lines of text extended out from the circle. Naruto collapsed, wiping the sweat from brow. "Ok Hanabi. I'm done. Are you ready?"

"Hai!" Hanabi said, not moving an inch from the center of the sealing array.

"Ok. The seal will appear on your stomach. It will be invisible unless you actively pour chakra to the seal itself."

"Why the stomach?"

"Ease of access." Naruto stated as a matter of fact. "All you have to do is perform a few seals, and pat your stomach and it's off. Other than that, there isn't many other places for you to put a large seal and still easily access."

Hanabi accepted the blonds answer.

Naruto motioned for Anko to come over. He handed her 1 of the last scrolls still sealed. "Hand that to me when I'm finished with this scroll, ok?"

"It's why I'm here. To watch you, make sure you don't mess up, and help you out."

"Thanks for listening to baa-chan's request."

"Not like she gave me any choice." Anko huffed slightly but still grinned. "Either way, still happy to help."

Naruto turned towards his young underling. "Ok Hanabi. I need you to stay still. If you can, will you remove the jacket. I need to concentrate where the seal is going to be at, so the the writing will converge on that one spot."

"I… Uh…." Hanabi's face visibly blushed. "I only have a mesh shirt underneath."

Naruto scratched the top of his head. _'__Well, shit. That's a bit awkward._'__

"Doesn't bother me!" Anko boldly stated, as she used herself as an example. "You can at least unzip your jacket like me."

Hanabi stared at the older kunoichi. True, she was also wearing a mesh shirt with an open trenchcoat. She could still see the curve of her breasts, which made her all the more nervous.

Hanabi sighed heavily. She knew Naruto wouldn't ask her if it didn't need to be done, so she begrudgingly unzipped her jacket, but refusing to take it off.

Anko let out a small whistle as she saw Hanabi unzip the jacket. _'__This girl got guts, I'll give her that. I'm definitely going to tease her about this._'__

"Anko. Please refrain from any teasing. We need to focus right now while I perform the seal." Naruto stated firmly as he rested his eyes on Hanabi's midsection.

Naruto held his hand in the sign of the Ram and began chanting. He said each word on the scroll fully rolled out before him. With each word, the seal would shrink. The text pulled inward, wrapping itself around Hanabi's legs, making it's way to it's stomach, forming a circle. From the circle, the text would curve inward more so, resembling the swirl of the Uzumaki's clan symbol.

Through the process, Hanabi couldn't help but notice the slight discomfort she was faced. It was a most odd sensation she felt, having ink slide across her skin. _'__Feels so weird._'__ Hanabi's frame shuddered slightly before she got use to it over the duration.

Slowly, but surely, he continued this for the better half of an hour. His eyes only swapping back and forth between the scroll and Hanabi's midsection. The swirl continued no further, no matter how much he changed. The text did seem to grow smaller and smaller, overlapping each other until the characters formed a solid fine line.

Hanabi glanced down, viewing the swirl on her stomach. Lights of fascination danced in her eyes It still moved. The characters shuddered slightly, but remained in place, as if bound by an invisible line.

Surely enough, the outer perimeter of the 1st part of the seal was pulled from the ground and focused on Hanabi's stomach as a swirl. He jerked his head, signaling Anko to unroll the final scroll.

She gripped firmly to one edge before rolling it out in a dramatic flair before Naruto. Even more verses of chants laid before Naruto. Naruto switched his hand sign to that of the Dog. The seal ring of characters meant to enable the 2 seals together swirled it's way towards Hanabi.

As the seals touched Hanabi's foot, he formed the Boar seal. The text, seemingly enticed by the hand sign, charged it's way faster towards Hanabi's core, encasing the swirl with a solid circle, enforcing the look of the Uzumaki's symbol even more so.

He formed the sign of the Snake and began the chantings of the Physical Restriction Seal. The 8 separated lines of text slid unnaturally towards their target. The 8 lines snaked it's way around the body, lining up with the seal. Naruto formed his hands in a praying formation as he gave his final command. "Seal!"

A warm sensation coursed through Hanabi's core. She looked down and saw the text were no longer moving, but sat still on her skin. Slowly, the black lines faded until no trace remained. She truly didn't have to worry about anyone seeing the seal. She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Good job Naruto! The seal looks good." Anko remarked.

"I wasn't aware you were well versed in seals, sensei."

"Well, when your old sensei decides to leave you a gift in the form of a seal by biting you, you tend to learn about seals to stop it. Luckily it's gone now." Anko smiled.

Hanabi shivered, knowing she was talking about the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru. A person she was happy she never got a chance to meet. Hanabi zipped up her jacket before standing up, brushing the dust from her pants.

"Ok. Lets get out of here."

* * *

Naruto and Hanabi arrived back in the town with Anko in tow. On the way back, Naruto showed Hanabi the seals used to place the seal in an inactive state. He told her to leave the adjustments of the seal to him. The 2 said farewell to the tokubetsu Jōnin as she parted ways.

Naruto glanced up and the shining Sun that matched in color with his hair. Naruto guessed it was near noon by the position of the Sun. "Well Hanabi, lets get some lunch. My treat."

"Ramen?" Hanabi half-heartedly asked. She knew it was gonna be.

"You bet! Going to get myself a large serving of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet!" Naruto flashed Hanabi his trademark foxy grin as both of them walked towards their next destination.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Well. The chapter is finally over. This took a loooooooong time. I put a lot of effort into this chapter and I hope you all liked it!

Ok, if you are interested in the wristband Naruto was wearing at the beginning of the chapter, refer to the cover page of Chapter 271. The one that showed Naruto, Shikamaru, and Gaara, each sporting a wristband/necklace. That is Naruto's wristband. I'll do little things like this here and there. Not terribly creative, but I do like to pull things from official artworks. Or go here: goo . gl / ujvosy

Also, that argument between Hiashi and the Clan's Elder was a pain to write. Even now, I don't think I have it right, but I guess it's good enough for now. We know there is tension between them.

Also, I hope you liked the inclusion of Anko and her antics. I loved including her. She has such a create personality to work with. Tell me what you think.

I'm also debating if I should make some slight grammar corrections to some of the words. For example. Hyuga can be spelled as Hyuga, Hyuuga, or Hyūga. I'm leaning more towards correcting words to their proper spelling, ex. Hyūga. What do you all think? Same with Kyubi. It can be spelled as Kyubi, Kyuubi, or Kyūbi. I probably will change it over by next chapter.

Also, I don't think I done anything in this chapter to make this M-rated. I made jokes and such, regarding adult activities, but I haven't gone into any details. If you think this should be M-rated, even just to be safe, let me know, and I'll change it asap. Well, with that, I'm off to go to sleep. Peace!

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**Replies to Chapter 5 Reviews**

warrof: Ha, thanks for pointing out that typo! Fixed it already! And yes, I have read The Great Sage Naruto by Thousandson. It's one of my favorites. It's been a while since I read it, so I re-read it. Happy to see there were some chapters from when I last read it. Soo close to the end too!

And thanks, That's a lot of praise. Thousandson has amazing writing style. I really look up to his writing style, but it has been a while since I read it. I guess he did influence me a bit, but I doubt I can be as good as he was. I just hope he will eventually pump out the last few chapters. I would love to see the end of it.

I'm also a bit of a grammar Nazi too, but I can't catch everything. Thanks for always leaving a review! Here's to many more chapters for you to read!

Guest: Happy to hear you think it's awesome!

Ryuujin96: I'm happy you really liked this chapter. And yeah, I guess many people would think that chapter would be about a bond forming between Naruto and Hanabi, since that is the main pairing of this series, but I don't think we're quite there yet.

And I'm happy you liked the bond between Naruto and Tenten. No insult to Tenten, but she's normal, compared to the other kunoichi. I really like that pairing for that reason. Probably because there are so many good fanfics of the pairings.

And yeah, I want to flush out Naruto a bit. Make him more realistic. Rarely do people ever have 1 relationship and end up marrying that person. I sure as hell haven't. If I have him go through some failed relationships, it makes him more real and allows him to connect to others in more ways.

As for Hanabi… Eh… She has dated, but she hasn't been in a real relationship before, you know. Dating is like, being with someone you like, while a relationship is more like being with some you truly love, you know? It's really hard to describe the difference between the 2 for me, I guess, but I hope you understand. She only 16, so she wouldn't of had many chances to of dated, let alone get into a serious relationship with someone. Plus her clan and all… Ugh. Damn crazy elders!

As for Naruto's bonds with his friends, I'll flush them out as well. I will definitely try to keep them as close to their original characters, but I still want to show they they too are growing and evolving, not just the main characters.

ShinigamiNoKitsune129: Yeah, if I was going for a harem, perhaps, but not here, lol. Happy you loved it. I'll be sure to make more!

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**Edits**

30APR14: Changed the rating to M because of the suggestiveness of this chapter. I rather be safe than sorry.

04MAY14: Made some changes, corrections and stuff of the like. I wanted to add more visual details of the seal, but I'll do that at another time soon. Need to finish the next chapter.

05MAY14: Replaced Jonin with Jōnin and Chunin with Chūnin.

11MAY14: Changed section at the top stating when the chapter was posted and when it was last updated.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

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\- Chapter 6 -

\- COMPLETE -


	7. Prophecy and Progress

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

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**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rated M for language and mature content -

\- Chapter powerd 11MAY14 -

\- Last updated 11MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _whispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An __**emphasis on a word**__ in thought.'_

_**"Bijū or the sort speaking."**_

_**'Bijū**_** or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bijū's sound effect or action of some effect.***

**Title.**

**Section.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

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**Author's Announcement**

Well guys and gals, hope you all are doing well. Here to the beginning of a new month. Happy to have pushed out 6 chapters in 1 month. With this chapter, the story will definitely break 40k words, which I'll most definitely be happy about! I hope to get another 6 if not more chapters out this month as well.

Also, I've been thinking about going back and spruce up the other chapters. Make the details more… Vibrant? Yeah, lets go with that. I'll probably do this over the upcoming weekend. Since I don't have anyone to beta, everything you read is pretty much a rough draft, so I apologize in advance for those who are the first to read this upon it's release.

I try my best to proof-read as I type everything, so once I'm done typing the chapter, I pretty much instantly toss it up on the website, so I count on all of you to help me out! So if any of you have ANY suggestions on how to improve certain areas, leave a review or send me a message! I check at least once everyday!

Well, enough of my ramblings! Lets get to what you are all here for! The next chapter of this series! Thank you all for taking your time and reading this. It really makes me happy to see the views and reviews!

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**Previous Chapter**

Naruto and Hanabi arrived back in the town with Anko in tow. On the way back, Naruto showed Hanabi the seals used to place the seal in an inactive state. He told her to leave the adjustments of the seal to him. The 2 said farewell to the tokubetsu Jōnin as she parted ways.

Naruto glanced up and the shining Sun that matched in color with his hair. Naruto guessed it was near noon by the position of the Sun. "Well Hanabi, lets get some lunch. My treat."

"Ramen?" Hanabi half-heartedly asked. She knew it was gonna be.

"You bet! Going to get myself a large serving of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet!" Naruto flashed Hanabi his trademark foxy grin as both of them walked towards their next destination.

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**Chapter 7**

**Prophecy and Progress**

「2 Weeks - 16th of May」

2 weeks has passed since the seal was placed on Hanabi. It took Hanabi a few days to get use to the resistance she felt. No. That was a lie. Even now, she wasn't use to the resistance she was faced with. It made everything she did more difficult.

She was instructed to place the seal in its inactive state on the weekends, allowing the body to recuperate, even if it was just briefly. She remembered the signs Naruto taught her for it.

Simply 6 signs. Ox, Horse, Ram, Boar, Dog, Rat. She practiced it over and over without activating it to memorize it. It would be troublesome if she forgot how to activate/deactivate the seal.

Today was the last day before the weekend. It means it was time to spar, once again, against her sensei. He would take the defensive, while she would be offensive. Every sparring would have them switch roles. He attack, she would defend. She attack, he would defend.

She came at him with everything she had, and he just brushed it off, never getting any of his tenketsu. _'Truly infuriating! I know he's good, but I would think I should at least be able to get 1!'_

She huffed. She tossed out a right kick while spinning counter-clockwise, aiming for his side. He caught it and pushed it away. She took the momentum and spun clockwise. She planted her right leg and shot the left let out, going for an instant left kick.

Blocked.

Shrugged off.

Her leg landed firmly on the ground, with a slight strain around the ankle, but she ignored it. She had to push on. She had to keep attacking. To improve. To get stronger. To show that everyone that she isn't just another Hyūga. Another soon-to-be Branch Hyūga.

No matter how fierce she attacked, he simply gave her a smile. A kind smile, but a smile that infuriated her even more. _'I know he's suppose to only be defending, but dammit! The fact he doesn't attack, ever, pisses me off!'_

She focused her frustrations into concentration. Honing it to a sharp blade as she sent out her hands, striking him with a flurry of blows. Each of the countered with open palms, smacking them away from their intended destinations.

She would thrust, he would rub his arms against her hands and brush them off, deviating their course, making them miss their mark every time. Her attacks were slower. She felt the weight on her limbs with every attack. She felt it on her body each time she rotated her body.

_'I'll be honest. This seal is a good workout.'_ Hanabi grinned as she kicked up the speed of her thrusts. Her attacks became more like a flurry of blows with the speed she was swinging her arms out.

_'She's gotten better in just 2 weeks. I might have to crank the seal up just a little bit next week… No. I shouldn't. Still too soon. I can't take risks. She can't recover from her injuries like I can. I can't treat her like I would myself.'_

Naruto grinned as he parried each blow. Even with the restrictions placed on her, she was performing almost as well as she was when he first trained her. Only once she matched her speed from before, maybe improved, would he change the difficulty of the seal. Probably the latter.

Showing improvement is important for morale. If he knocked her down and made it more difficult for her every time she got as good from before, she wouldn't be happy. _'I think after another 2 weeks, I'll fight her with the restraints off. So she can see exactly how much she has improved. That should boost her morale enough.'_

He narrowed his eyes as Hanabi dropped into the famous stance of the Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms. He tensed up, ready to accept her volley of jabs, for he knew that in this attack, she would attack as fast as she can with the seal against her.

She started with with 2 jabs. No good. She followed up with another 2. Brushed off. 4. Dodged. 8. Parried. 16. Swatted. 32. Blocked. All 64 attacks were negated. Hanabi deactivated her kekkei genkai.

Her chakra was nearing it's low. She was physically exhausted. She didn't know how long they were at it, but it's been over an hour, that much she knew. She fell unceremoniously to the ground.

"That was good Hanabi. You lasted 10 minutes longer this time. Keep up the work and you won't be disappointed." Naruto extended his hand.

Hanabi waited for a few moments before grabbing his hand. With him being an anchor, she pulled herself up. She winced at the pain in her ankle. _'Damn. I guess I shouldn't of ignored that.'_

Naruto saw the visible wince. He frowned lightly. He didn't know when it happened, but from her face, it hurt a bit. She wouldn't let that expression show over something so minor. _'I guess I pushed her too far. I might've used too much force when I pushed away one of her kicks.'_

"You ok?" Naruto asked the simple, but caring question.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hanabi waved off Naruto's concern as she took another step. She inhaled sharply, but firmly stood her ground. She took another step and almost immediately crumpled. _'What the hell!'_

Naruto grabbed her just in the nick of time. "Yeah. You're just _dandy_." Naruto chuckled lightly.

"I just misstepped, that's all. Really, I'm fine!"

"Come on. I can't let my cute little student continue to ignore the injury. That would make me a poor sensei." Naruto playfully chided.

Hanabi frowned slightly. _'Bully…'_ Hanabi gave a small smile. _'At least he cares about me.'_

Naruto gently placed his hand on her shoulder. He pulled out the famous 3-pronged kunai and focused for a second. The landscape around him and Hanabi distorted before reforming itself to that of the main entrance of the Hyūga Compound.

To the guards, Naruto and Hanabi both popped into existence from out of nowhere. Usually if someone used shunshin [body flicker], there would be leaves or some other telltale sign to announce their presence. The guards visibly stiffened at the sudden presence, but did not reach for their weapons upon seeing the blond mess of hair. Only 1 person in this village had hair like that.

Hanabi waved off her sensei as she attempted to walk normally. As she reached the guards, she turned towards her sensei in response to his call.

"Promise me you take it easy this weekend."

"I will sensei. I'll see you Monday." Hanabi bowed respectfully before turning, making her way to her bedroom.

Naruto stared at the retreating figure of his student before smiling, leaving like he came, vanishing into nothing.

* * *

He arrived back at the training ground he was previously at with his student. He stretched his limbs before making a sizable number of clones ranging in the hundreds. He may have a student, but that was no excuse for him to skip out on his own training. With determination in his eyes, he ordered each of them split into several groups.

Each group started performing a multitude of different tasks. One group was doing push-ups, another doing sit-ups, others doing planks, while another was doing squats. Other groups would run, meditate, walk on water, or fight each other in taijutsu, ninjutsu, or kenjutsu.

None of them were doing anything advance. Every single one was doing the basics of basics. After every 30 minutes, the groups would switch stations and started to perform the different activities, and he would not exclude himself from this himself. He trained alongside them for 5 hours.

At the end, each and every clone performed in the 10 different activities for the day. The original would dissipate them gradually, gaining their experience and physical workouts. With his large surplus of stamina, he could workout all day by himself. The only one who was close to his level was Gai and Lee, the Twin Green Beasts of Konoha. Even so, he would outlast them in a contest of endurance.

Although, if he had to fight both of them at the same time in a fight of pure taijutsu, he would undoubtedly lose. Even if he could outlast them, it would mean nothing if they tag-teamed and beat him to a pulp.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and collapsed. Sprawled out on the grass, he felt the pain ebbing through his body as he felt the fatigue from his clones. He gazed up to the sky. The sun was setting and the clouds were drifting. He felt the summer wind sweep across his face, bring it's cooling breeze.

Inhaling deeply a few times, he listened to the nature surrounding him. _'It's so peaceful now. Hopefully the world can stay this way.'_ Naruto thought to himself before bringing himself to the main issue that has popped up after the end of the war.

'_The other nations still want the other tailed beasts that are sealed within me. Always talking about peace this and balance that.'_ Naruto sighed inwardly. _'I really don't want to seal the beasts inside of others.'_

'_**But you must.'**_ Kurama answered back. _**'I know you want to set the 9 of us free, but there will always be people out there in the world that will manipulate us and force us to do their biddings.'**_

'_That doesn't make it any better. I feel like because of the world, you guys are handed the short end of the stick. There has to be a 3rd option. I'll find it somewhere, some how.'_

Kurama bellowed out a throaty laughter. _**'A foolish mortal caring about us demons. While you mean well, it is futile. It is the way of the world. At least you made it so that whoever we are sealed within will not despise us, nor the village despise our host.'**_

Naruto thought back to when the final fight concluded. A fierce fight between Madara Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha and himself. Each of the 5 Kage's representing their nations gathered in celebration. Sadly that celebration was shorten by the talk of distributing the demon beasts between them once again.

They all felt that Naruto, a shinobi of the Leaf, having all 9 made the Leaf far too powerful. They were right. He was too powerful. But he refused to split his friends so easily. After a long and much heated debate, he made his promise that he would, on one and only one condition. The hosts, before becoming a jinchūriki, they would be filled with love.

The Kage's looked at him oddly, not comprehending what he meant. His friend Gaara, and the women he thought of as his surrogate mother, Tsunade, quickly realized what he meant. No mistreating the jinchūriki. Each one would be seen as a hero, and be loved by their village.

Naruto didn't want his fate to befall any of them. No jinchūriki at birth. Let them have a normal childhood, fill them with love, let them experience the normalcy of being a regular human before becoming a sacrifice.

He hated to think that way, but that what they were. That's what jinchūriki meant. A human sacrifice. A human to be sacrificed to hold great power that would balance the other nations. He hated how they only saw his friends as tools. As weapons. As things necessary to have.

Nonetheless, Kurama brought up a valid point. If there were no jinchūriki, then they would be free game for whatever other evil organization could be out there. They all agreed they would rather be sealed in a human and live contently than to be free and be used as a tool by evil.

So Naruto made that clause with the 5 Kages. No one would pull the beasts from him without ensuring the hosts would love his friends. Obviously that pissed a few of them off. The fact that a lone ninja pretty much told some of the strongest people in their respective nations that he wouldn't do what they wanted made a few of them mad. Nonetheless, they couldn't do anything. He was stronger than they were, that much was obvious, so they had to comply with his deal.

Naruto sighed heavily once again. _**'Don't worry too much about it kit.'**_ Kurama replied.

'_You seemed awfully friendly today.'_ Naruto replied with a light chuckle.

'_**It's not that I hate you. Kinda hard to when half of me thinks of you as a friend. I still won't trust you fully until you beat me at full power mortal.'**_ Kurama grunted as he laid his head on his paws.

'_I already told you I don't want to fight you!'_

'_**Too bad. I get bored and I want to fight someone strong. So if you want to separate my brothers and sisters from me, you have to go through me first.'**_

Naruto inwardly sighed. Kurama was being a pain again. He still wouldn't listen to him unless he forced him to. Something he also didn't want to do. Something he wish there was another way to convince the damn fox otherwise. But when you talk to a demon that has been around for thousands of years, it's difficult to change their mind once they are set on something.

This was a major reason why he kept training relentlessly and insanely since the war ended. He doubt when he fought Kurama, he would give him any of his chakra. He couldn't even beat half of him by himself. He had to rely on his mother for some help.

Not only that, he had a fellow jinchūriki, Bee, who was no longer in this world, help him out. This time, he would have to fight a much stronger Kurama by himself. He brought his hands up and furiously scratched the blond mop of hair on his head out of frustration.

A familiar voice called out to him in pure amusement. "Don't think too hard Naruto. You might hurt yourself."

Instantly recognizing the voice Naruto spat back. "Shut it Shikamaru!" Naruto huffed. He hated being made fun of for being stupid. After conversing with the Nidaime Hokage, he realized he barely knew anything about his most used jutsu, the Shadow Clone.

This action stirred a desire for knowledge. A desire he came to hate later on. Studying wasn't easy. It was boring as hell, but the fact that he barely understood half the things he was doing and just winging it upset him. And the fact others thought he was just plain stupid. That too upset him.

So everyday, he would have clones read scrolls, new and old, over and over until he felt he knew the subject well enough. His clones gave him lip from time to time about it. Clone or not, who would want to spend hours in a dusty library. He surely didn't want to.

Pulling himself from his train of thought, he noticed his friend with the pineapple-like ponytail drop next to him. "Enjoying the clouds?"

"Very." Shikamaru replied with satisfaction. "You find some good places, you know that Naruto?"

Naruto smiled at the Jōnin Commander. It was the best way for them to pass the time together. Relaxing, star gazing or cloud watching. "So. I think I figured out a bit about that prophecy, but still confused about a few parts."

"Really? I finished traveling the world and retracing my steps, but I haven't notice any path opened up to me." Naruto asked with excitement.

"I think you are on that path right now." Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders as he continued. " Let's go over the prophecy first." Shikamaru took a quick breath before reciting the prophecy from memory.

Naruto nodded eagerly in affirmation, wondering what his friend found out.

"You shall traverse the corners of the world as you retrace your steps. Using your past as a guide for the present, the next step to the future appear before you." Shikamaru recited those words perfectly. "I'm fairly certain this verse has already come to past."

"I hope it has. I did spend the past few trips visiting every place I've been to since I left with Jiraya. But I still don't know what the next step is."

"After becoming a shinobi, what is the next step every ninja go through Naruto?" Shikamaru asked his long-time friend, hoping to direct him towards finding the answer himself.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

Shikamaru sighed. "You know shōgi?"

"You mean that strategy board game. I know of it, but I don't know how to play it." Naruto was clearly confused by what the game had anything to do with this situation.

"That's fine. In shōgi, there is a piece called the King. Who do you think that represents in our village?"

Naruto sat for a moment, contemplating. "It would be the Hokage, wouldn't it?"

Shikamaru let out a chuckle. "No. Although the Hokage is a very important person, who's more important than Tsunade-sama?"

"The Fire Daiymō?"

Shikamaru sighed. "No. Someone more important."

Naruto fell back on the grass, giving up. "I don't know who could be more important that the Fire Daiymō."

Shikamaru sighed, figuring that his friend wouldn't figure it out unless he told him outright. "The King is the next generation. They are the one who will take after us. They are the one who will learn from us. We must ensure they will carry on, because without the next generation, everything we have worked for will end."

Realization hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. He was completely surprised that something so important was never taught to him before. An audible gasp was let out, signalling Shikamaru that Naruto understood. "That makes a lot of sense. The next generation are our students. The ones who we pass our teachings down to. So my next step is to take a student."

"Which you already have, and I know she is the right student for you to take."

Naruto tilted his head towards Shikamaru, studying the look on his face. "How can you be so sure that it's Hanabi, and not someone else? I mean, Ero-Sennin had… What… At least 6 other students before he got to me."

"Because of the next verse." Shikamaru coughed slightly to clear his throat before continuing. "You shall find the pathway illuminated with fireworks that will guide you towards the destination."

Shikamaru gave only a moment before explaining himself. "The keyword is _fireworks_. Hanabi's name means _fireworks_. So, as you teach your student, she will guide to your destination, wherever that may be."

Naruto's eyes looked off into the distant, as if they were gazing past the clouds in the sky, searching farther. "I never realized that."

"Seriously?" Shikamaru asked, his tone laced with disbelief.

"No man. I just said I didn't." Naruto replied with slight irritation, having to repeat himself.

A loud audible smack was heard. Shikamaru face-palmed himself in pure disbelief. _'How this guy not recognize that I don't even know. I seriously thought that was the reason he took Hanabi as a student.'_ Shikamaru gave a heavy sigh and continued on.

"Well, after that, I think what you are waiting are for the 8 hosts to be ready. It says they need to be filled, but I don't know what they need to be filled with." The pony-tailed Jōnin sat there for a moment, contemplating what it could mean.

"You remember what I told the Kages about sealing the Tailed Beasts."

"Yeah, you wanted them to be happy. But what does that have to do with anything?" Shikamaru asked, trying to find out where the blond shinobi was going with his statement.

Naruto searched through his memories back to when he fought Kurama for dominance. "They have to be filled with love. It's what my Mom told me. Before she became a Jinchūriki, she was told by the previous host that she needed to be filled with love." Naruto stated as a matter-of-fact while reminiscing the memory.

An expression of understanding came to Shikamaru's face. _'Now I see. I wouldn't of thought of that since I never had to deal with the demons personally. If the hosts are happy, there is less of a chance of them being corrupted by the Tailed Beasts.'_ The Jōnin Commander sighed heavy as he moved to his next question. "I don't know about this book or test though."

"For the book, I think I know what it is, now that I think about it. It's probably referring to the first book Jiraya wrote. The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. That book helped me out more than once, so it might help them. As for the test, I'll probably have to fight Kurama."

"Oh?" Shikamaru searched through his memory. _'I don't recall ever reading it. I need to pick up a copy for myself sometime.'_

"As for the test, that would probably be me fighting Kurama."

'_The 9th demon. The 9-Tailed Demon Fox… Wait-'_ Shikamaru coughed noticing what Naruto just said. "Wait, you mean you have to fight the Kyūbi?! Are you insane?! That guy is a monster, even in comparison to the other demons sealed in you!"

"No Shikamaru, I'm not insane. Kurama told me himself. He won't let me separate him from his brothers and sisters without a fight."

Pass it and the world shall step into a new age of peace. Fail and tragedy shall fall upon the world."

"Wait, what?!" Shikamaru let out a moan. "You have to **fight** him? That's the test? Are you sure? How do you know?" Shikamaru spat out, not believing what he just heard.

Naruto slowly nodded his head. "He said he won't let me separate him from his brothers and sisters without a fight."

"So that is why you are training so much lately, even after the war. Troublesome fox." Shikamaru scoffed at the Kyūbi.

"Yeah. I barely beat half of him last time, and that was with help. This time I will have to fight him by myself. I'll manage somehow. I just need to get more efficient at my skills. Even with my large surplus of chakra, they still eat it up."

"Ah." Shikamaru came to a realization. "So that is why you came up with that seal. So you can increase your chakra."

Naruto slowly nodded his head. "Chakra control will help too, but if I'm going to take on Kurama, I still need a lot of chakra and I need to become more efficient with my Sage Mode. I can't afford to hold back against the guy."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Only you would talk about taking on the strongest of the Tailed Beasts and have a chance at beating him. I think even Sasuke would have trouble with them by himself."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess. Speaking of which, when will he be back?"

"Oh, probably be soon. He's been on his honeymoon for a while with his 2 wives." Shikamaru scoffed. "I can't believe that guy actually enacted the CRA [Clan Restoration Act]. The guy has balls to marry 2 women who butt heads a lot."

Naruto chuckled lightly as Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You aren't thinking of doing the same thing are you, Naruto?"

"No way man. Why do you think I would."

"Because you are related to the Senju, last of the Uzumaki, minus the psycho red head, Karin, who's married to Sasuke, and the only living Namikaze. You probably have more right to the CRA than Sasuke. Plus, you know the women of this village, and several others, would throw themselves at you."

"No Shikamaru," Naruto replied in a voice laced with sadness. "They would throw themselves at the _Hero of the 5 Nations_, not _me_."

"Touché. Women are troublesome." Shikamaru gave a sigh.

"Ha! Says the married guy!" Naruto called out his friend.

"Shut it." Shikamaru replied in a warning voice.

"Speaking of which, how is _your_ blond?" Naruto gave a hearty laugh with his question.

"Horrible. The marriage was to build a closer relation with the Sand."

"Don't lie. We all know you guys love each other."

Shikamaru gave a smirk. "I wasn't lying. I was only telling half the truth."

"Oh? I still call that lying." Naruto replied with a smirk.

"Necessary evil when it comes to politics." Stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And that is why I will never be good at it." Naruto replied offhandedly.

"That and you'll believe everything everyone tells you." The Jōnin Commander threw a proverbial punch under the belt.

"Hey! I'm not gullible!" Naruto retorted, taking personal offense to the insult.

"Not saying you are, I'm saying others are too cunning for you." Shikamaru let out a grin as he dealt another low blow.

"Ouch Shikamaru, that hurt." Naruto replied sarcastically. "Some friend you are."

"I am a friend. One that is willing to tell you how it is." Shikamaru mumbled.

"Thanks for that. I need more friends like that." Naruto flashed him a wide grin and gave a heavy sigh.

"Still thinking about the prophecy?"

Naruto replied with a simple nod. "I don't know how much time I have left. I still need to come up with a better seal to seal the beasts. One that won't get me killed."

"Still trying to figure out your clan's scrolls?"

"Yeah. I have them fully deciphered, but I don't understand the full concept behind them. Jiraya notes helped a lot from when he studied the ruins who knows how long ago, but it doesn't explain everything."

"Fuinjutsu was always a pain. Anything beyond storing weapons becomes too troublesome. I do know of a very good person, though it may be a bit awkward."

"Who would that be?" Naruto asked, intrigued as to who he had in mind.

"Tenten. She knows a lot about seals. She's no master, but she's the best one I can think of off the top of my head who's still alive."

"You're right. That would be a bit awkward given our history, though we did hang out recently. If I can't make any further progress, I'll ask her for help." Naruto let out a sigh, before sitting up. "I guess I should go home and make some food."

'_Naruto, cooking?'_ Slight surprised by this thought, he couldn't help but ask. "Since when did you start cooking."

"Since my mother told me I needed to eat more vegetables." Naruto grunted with his reply.

Shikamaru let out a short snort. "Even in death, your mother is telling you to do things." Shikamaru mumbled something along the lines of troublesome mothers.

Naruto couldn't help but agree in laughter. "That just shows how much she cared about me."

"Well. I'll get out of your hair. Be sure to come up with that seal. You'll have maybe another year before the hosts are ready."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh. "I still don't want to seal the beasts in them."

Shikamaru let out a heavy sigh as well. "Sorry Naruto. It's the way of the world. Besides, they volunteered for it. It's better to do it this way than to leave them be. The Beasts are too powerful for us to ignore. You wouldn't want that kind of power in the hands of another organization like the Akatsuki, would you?"

Naruto knew he was right. Kurama said the same thing after the war when the Kages talked to him about sealing the demons. Hell, all 9 of them agreed. Even though it's not what they wanted, it's better than the other possibilities.

Naruto stood up, knowing that fretting over this wouldn't get anything done. He stretched as his friend stood up. "Well, I better get going before my wife yells at me again."

Naruto snickered slightly at his friend's predicament. "Yeah yeah. Laugh it up now. You won't be when you get married."

Naruto frowned slightly at the comment. "I think it will be a while before that happens."

Shikamaru eyed Naruto closely. "I don't know about that…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes in return. "And what do you mean about that?"

Shikamaru casually shrugged off the question as he walked away. "You'll find out in time." Shikamaru gave a wave and headed in a different direction, splitting from Naruto.

Naruto grunted as his friend let the question just hang in the air. _'Well, I guess it's time to go home. I think I'll make some curry tonight. Simple, but good.'_ Naruto agreed with his decision and headed off home.

* * *

「17th of May」

Hanabi stirred with the rising of the sun, signalling the start of a new day. With minimal effort, she pulled herself from the comfort that was her large fluffy bed and trotted to her personal bathroom for a morning shower, thus beginning her morning routine.

After getting dressed and brushing her hair, she walked out to the dining hall to join her family for the weekend breakfast. As per usual, her father was the first one to be at the table. She looked at her father with slight awe. _'I still don't see how he gets up so early. I rather stay in that bed if I could.'_

She greeted her father as she requested breakfast from the family's chef. "Good morning Father."

"Good morning Hanabi. I take it you had trained well with Naruto-sama this week?" Hiashi asked, probing his daughter lightly with questions.

"Yes. He's having me build my muscles and reflexes so that my reaction time will improve. He also has been forcing me to increase my chakra capacity and control so that I may become more efficient in using our taijutsu and keep my eyes activated for longer periods of time."

Hiashi nodded. He knew that Naruto could not be able to offer much for improving the stances and strikes of their taijutsu, but he did have unorthodox methods to improve them nonetheless. He took a bite out of his toast as he read from the newspaper before asking another question. "And how goes the seal?"

The chef placed a plate filled with food before Hanabi. "He hasn't adjusted it since last the beginning. I promise you father, he's being very careful."

Hiashi stared at his daughter passively. Detecting no falsehood in her statement, he continued eating the meal before him with grace.

The 2 of them sat in silence until the soft echos of footsteps reached their ears. Hiashi turned to greet his oldest daughter, who was clutching her slightly swollen stomach. He greeted her with a smile. "Good morning Hinata."

"Good morning Father." Hinata replied sweetly. After the war, Hiashi repaired the rough relationship with his daughters. Hinata, even after being put down for so long by her own father, welcomed him warmly. She couldn't bear any grudge against him.

She turned towards her beloved sister and gave her an equally sweet smile. "Good morning Hanabi."

Hanabi smiled towards her sister. She didn't know how, but her sister always exuded a sense of peacefulness around her, making everyone around her relaxed. "Morning Hinata. How are you feeling."

"I'm feeling better. Thank you for asking." Hinata quickly ordered her breakfast before sitting across from Hanabi. "So how are things going with you and Naruto?"

Hanabi smiled. She remembered when she was nervous telling her sister that she was being taught by Naruto. She was afraid that her sister would take things the wrong way.. The fact that she was being taught by her sister's ex-boyfriend raised an eyebrow from Hinata, but she didn't press.

"The training is going well. The training is hard, but Naruto-sensei doesn't push the training to the extreme."

Hinata let out a small laugh. "Be thankful. I was afraid he might go overboard like Gai-sama and Lee."

Hanabi sweated at the thought. The duo took weight training to the extreme. The duo did so without resorting to enhancing their bodies with chakra. Pure physical strength is absolutely necessary for their taijutsu, the Strong Fist.

Hanabi, while she wasn't using weight, her body felt like it when the seal was active. Low weights, high repetition. Her teacher decided this was what she needed to increase her speed and her accuracy. He determined that these traits were best suited for her taijutsu, the Gentle Fist.

She didn't need strength to deal damage. Her chakra would do that for her. She merely needed to get within range to tap them for a mere moment, accurately and quickly, to cripple her opponents.

Hanabi finished her meal and looked at her father.

Hiashi folded his newspaper as if on queue. "I will test your skills today. Meet me in 30."

Hanabi nodded as she excused herself from her table and headed to her room to prepare.

Hinata looked to her father again as Hanabi left, watching him sip his coffee. "Father."

"Yes Hinata? Something on your mind?" Hiashi asked as he peered into Hinata's questioning look.

"I still don't see why Naruto would train Hanabi. Nothing against them, but it's so weird."

Hiashi sighed as he sat his cup of coffee on the table. "I long since gave up trying to understand the enigma that is Naruto Uzumaki. When I expect him to do one thing, he completely does something I didn't even think was possible of him."

Hinata laughed lightly at her father's stress. "He is hard to understand. I just know that when he's set to do something, nothing can stop him."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes at his older daughter. "You stopped him."

"What do you mean? What did I stop him from?" Hinata asked her father, unsure what she did.

"You stopped him from marrying you."

Hinata felt the mood between them shift from a gentle atmosphere to one of seriousness. "Father-"

"I know. I just seriously thought the 2 of you would've married. You were so happy together. I don't know what the Elder's told you, but you should've stayed with him."

Hinata sighed heavily, the mood between them become even more serious. Hinata decided that it was time to inform her father what happened. "I wanted to follow my dream. Sadly Naruto couldn't fall into that dream, so we decided to break up."

"And what dream could possibly force you to break up with the man you loved for over 10 years?" Hiashi asked, pressing his questions. He would be damned if he didn't find the answer while his daughter was willing to speak about this subject.

"To unite the Branch and Main families together."

"I understand why that is a good thing to strive for, but why would that be more important than being with someone who you love? Surely you don't have to end things with Naruto to achieve that dream, right?"

"Because of Neji. He died protecting both Naruto and I, so I want to carry on his dream. His dream was to unite the Branch and Main families together so that no one else has to suffer like he did. Because of his sacrifice, I will carry on in his stead and make his dream a reality."

Hiashi nodded. It was a noble goal indeed. He wanted to do the same for his brother, but the branch side didn't trust him. As for Hinata, the Branch family has come to love her and cheer for her, more than they would ever do for him. _'I guess Naruto rubbed off on you more than I thought.'_

"This isn't a dream I can leave to my sister and follow through my selfish desires. This is something I'm able to do, so I have to do it." Hinata closed her eyes and gave her father a soft smile. "Besides. I love my sister. I don't want her to be bound to marrying within the clan. I want her to find true love."

Hiashi took note of what his daughter said at the end. "So that is why you broke things off with Naruto-sama. The Elders told you that to be the Head, you have to marry in the family to produce pure heirs."

Hinata simply nodded. She was sadden that she couldn't have the best of both worlds, but she also knew that if she did this, then she could make it so no one else would have to afterwards, so she gave up her love so other's wouldn't have to suffer the same fate.

Hiashi almost teared up at his daughter's sacrifice. To her, her family's happiness was greater than her own. He cursed himself for not being able to abolish the old ways because the Elders had too firm of a grasp on the clan, even though he was the Head.

A plan started to form in his head. He would become an Elder once he gave up his position, but even so, he wouldn't be the only Elder. He would have to change that, carefully and precisely, at the right moment.

"You really are too kind my daughter. When the time comes, I will entrust the clan to you entirely and will stand by your decisions." Hiashi stood. Enough time has passed between the 2 of them and he had to get ready with for the spar with his youngest daughter.

"Thank you Father, for giving me your blessings and understandings."

"You have nothing to thank me for. All I want as a father is for my daughters to be happy." With that, Hiashi left the dining hall with a small smile. He was a bit late to be a proper father to his daughters, but not too late, and now he would do his best to make sure they would achieve their dreams and be happy.

* * *

Hanabi stepped out to the yard in white robes fit for a duel. She deactivated her seal last night before going to sleep as her sensei instructed her to do. He told her it was important that she regularly deactivated her seal for a couple days, the weekends specifically, so that she wouldn't accidently strain herself. Something he found out the hard way.

As she thought about it, she came to understand this. To train with a heavy resistance against one's body for a long duration and to finally remove those restrictions so suddenly would be foolhardy. While you would most definitely move faster and strike harder, you would have little control. You could easily tear the muscles from the bones and leave yourself cripple.

While sadly she didn't have much time to adjust to her new speed, she didn't have to worry. It has only been 5 days since the last time she had her seals deactivated. Her speed, while it has increased a bit, has not done so in such a dramatic fashion to worry about seriously causing harm to her body. Besides, this would also serve as training in itself.

She would have to adjust to her bodies improvements on the fly if she was suddenly called for a mission. Still, she through out a few strikes, attempting to know the new heighten limits of her speeds before her father came.

After testing them, she performed a few bodily stretches to warm her muscles as her father appeared. "Hello Father."

Hiashi stoic face turned to his youngest daughter after he closed the door to the dojo. Barefooted, he took his stance on the wooden floor and activated his kekkei genkai. "Attack when you are ready." Hiashi commanded.

Hanabi knew not to take his father lightly. He was the Clan's Head not only because of blood, but because of his strength and skills, along with his aptitude for politics. His skills far exceeded her nephew before his death. And even with Hinata quickly rising to Neji's level of skill, over the year, even threatening to overpass him, he still mopped the floor with her.

That was until she became pregnant. She couldn't very well risk fighting now that she was pregnant, so they haven't fought in a while. In the meantime, that would give Hanabi plenty of time to catch up to her older sister, who overshadowed her even though she was a quote unquote prodigy. Just shows that inborn talent isn't everything. Her sensei was the prime example of that.

Finishing her stretches in a timely manner, she entered her stance and activated her kekkei genkai. She dashed forward, sending out several strikes to test the waters of her father's defense. He easily saw the strikes coming and deflected them, returning with counter strikes of his own.

The two went back and forth like this as she examined his defenses in all angles. Not a single hole left open that she could exploit. Her arms were starting to hurt from the counter strikes, but she could easily continue. She pressed on, increasing her speed.

Her strikes became a flurry of blows that were faster than when she fought her sensei. Even so, her father easily knocked down each of her strikes, not letting a single strike through. Though, with the increase speed, she was able to avoid some of the counter strikes from her father. She knew that if he truly went on the attack, she wouldn't stand a chance.

10 minutes passed since the beginning of the fight. Feeling she has tested her waters well enough, she started pumping chakra into her muscles, increasing their strength and reaction. She dashed her way into her father's reach, thrusting an open palm towards his mid-section.

Hiashi grinned slightly. _'Ah. She's taking the gloves off now. About time.'_ He counter swiftly and efficiently. He returned the strike in kind, thrusting his own palm against her, aiming for the same spot she did.

Hanabi reacted quickly and spun on the spot. Her father's palm pierced through where her body was just a moment ago, but she didn't falter. She lined upped her next strikes with deadly precision and speed.

Hiashi calmly countered each strike, making sure none of them landed and deal any damage. This time he struck with even more speed, landing a successful blow on her core, forcing chakra.

Hanabi bent over in pain and dropped to her knees. Although the strike wasn't life-threatening, it was most certainly a crippling blow. _'Damn that hurt!'_ She knew the fight was over right then.

"Good job Hanabi. You have indeed increased the speed of your strikes and your aim has not suffered because of it. In due time, I have faith you will eventually match your sister's speed, and maybe even mine." Hiashi placed his hand on his daughters mid-section and healed her injury accordingly. "Be sure to tell your sensei that I am pleased with the results and expect more great things."

Feeling the relief from the treatment, she stood back on her feet before giving a bow. Frustrated with her loss, she promised herself to become stronger. She knew that she stilled had a long way to go before she would become stronger than her sister, and even longer for her father, and much longer before becoming stronger than her sensei, if that was even feasible.

Still, she didn't resent her loss. She was frustrated, but happy at the same time. Her father praised her. How could she not be happy about hearing praise from a man who gave so little of them out. It boosted her pride, but not so much so to make her arrogant. Her loss stopped that from happening.

Hiashi noticed the aura around his daughter. He peered at her while she bowed. _'She seems to be hungry for power, but I trust that in time she will notice that power isn't everything. It's something she must learn on her own, and if she doesn't...'_ Hiashi ended his thoughts there, not wanting to to think of what he would have to do. He wouldn't have his daughter turn out like the Uchiha.

His course of thought changed at that moment. _'It might be best to say something now to mitigate that risk.'_ Hiashi placed his typical stoic expression when his daughter raised her head. "Hanabi. I _must_ say something."

Hanabi flinched at his tone. She knew she was in trouble, but she didn't know what was wrong. So she stood there, waiting for her father to reprimand her.

"While** power** is important, it is not the only thing you seek, understood." Hiashi firmly stated.

Hanabi knew it wasn't a question. She merely nodded.

"I do not want to see my own daughter walk down the same path as that damn **Uchiha**-"

"-Father! I would never-" Hanabi forcibly replied as she felt ashamed to be compared to the traitorous Sasuke Uchiha. Why they let him lived, she didn't understand, but it wasn't her place to comment on it, as he did have a significant role in saving all the nations.

"-Be that as it may, my daughter, the course you are on is veering off into a dangerous direction. I trust you will correct your ways." Hiashi sighed as he placed his hands on his youngest daughter's shoulders, giving her a gentle and understanding expression.

"Seeking power is not wrong, but as I said before, it should not be the only thing you seek. Don't let your desires lead you to ruin. It would devastate your old man to see his own child take such a path."

Hanabi felt ashamed of herself. She reflected on her desires and noted where she started to go wrong. She closed in on her father, hugging him, letting her emotions through. She felt ashamed for failing her father. For disgracing her clan with her actions. She felt the need to be powerful, but went about it all wrong.

At least her father stepped in before it got out of hand. For that she was truly happy about that. "I'm sorry Father. I'm really sorry for shaming you." Hanabi cried into her father, each tear filled with sadness.

Hiashi was taken back slightly. He never had much close interactions with his daughters, so hugging was still a bit of a foreign concept to him, but he couldn't stop himself as he wrapped his arms around his precious daughter. "It's alright. As long as you recognize the errors and correct it, it's alright." Hiashi comforted his daughter.

He knew he had done the right thing. Hopefully with this, he can begin to improve the relationship between both his daughters. It was awkward for him, since he never had paternal love growing up, so he didn't know how to treat his own daughters, but he swore he would do his best.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

This chapter took a bit longer than I wanted. Been really, really busy with class and the tests. TOO MANY TESTS! Ugh. It seems that my only spare time to write will be the weekends and maybe a few hours through the week.

I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. I decided to make it primarily focusing on the relationship of the Main Hyūga family, as well as give some details between Hinata and Naruto. Once Hanabi gets with Naruto, or seriously thinks about getting with him, she'll find out herself what happened between them.

Also, what do you think of me using numbers rather than spelling them out? I figure it would be simpler for me to use the numbers than spell them out. It's easier on the eyes I guess.

Also, I came up with an idea for another fanfic with this series, but I don't know what I want for the pairing… Maybe NaruxTenten… I might decided to toggle between the 2, I dunno. I'll probably wait until the manga is done before I start it though. We will see.

On another note, this chapter is actually longer than I thought it would be. I couldn't include everything here, so I'll place all my other thoughts in the next chapter. I don't want this chapter being too long. Also, I feel bad for not releasing this sooner, so this is to make up for it.

Instead of cramming everything I want in this chapter, I'll stop here, upload it, and start on the next chapter, which will focus on Hanabi developing and showing some amount of affection for Naruto. It's gonna be fun!

* * *

**Replies to Chapter 6 Reviews**

Timmy: I'm happy you think this is a great fan fic.

Guest: I'll be sure to update this chapter ASAP!

warrof:Thank you for pointing out the grammar errors. They should be fixed by the time you read this, along with the other chapters too. I too hope Thousandson finishes his work. Soo close to it being done to just leave it there.

I'm happy you like that Naruto had previous experience. As for Tenten, that's a hard question to answer. It's just, I like that couple. Such an odd couple, like this current couple. I think the next fanfic will be a NarutoxTenten. Also, I felt that it was plausible for them to of gotten together with the circumstances.

As for her and Lee, I imagine that they see each other as brother and sister, which makes it difficult for them to push past that bond. For her and Naruto, they are friends. With Naruto being there for her more so than others and always having his way with words, it [to me personally] makes it more realistic that he could win her heart rather than someone she sees as a brother.

As for Anko. Eh. She's there for comedy relief. She wouldn't mind riding the "Demon of Konoha" but she's just teasing. She finds amusement in making others uncomfortable. In ways, Anko is a somewhat like Naruto.

Easygoing, tomboyish, playful, stubborn, bold, rough, short-tempered, and hyperactive at times. At the same times, she's studious, a bit bloodthirsty, sadistic, and not sympathetic with most people. She's blunt and straight to the point as well. She doesn't play games beating around the bush. She lets everyone know what she thinks. That's why she teases Naruto the most, because he is like her in some ways, which makes it more enjoyable for her to tease him.

Ryuujin96: Kurama isn't going to be _much_ of an antagonist. His other half hasn't seen what is so great about Naruto, so they will have to fight again to earn his full respect. As for big bad villain, nah. There won't be some big bad major organization out there that can flatten Naruto.

This is about Naruto gaining a disciple, training her, falling in love, building relations with the other nations and making his way to the seat of the Hokage. Speaking of building relations with other nations… Well, I'll save that for another time.

girrr: I'm happy you believe this story deserves more reviews! Every bit counts. Be sure to tell me if you have any thoughts, no matter how trivial you think it is. I'm always happy to answer them!

* * *

**Edits**

11MAY14: Corrected the mistakes pointed out by warrof.

12MAY14: Added dates to events to better portray how far part events takes place between each of them.

* * *

\- Chapter 7 -

\- COMPLETE -


	8. First of Many Steps

**Chronicles of Hanabi and Naruto**

Fanficition by Spark of Fate (Lord Kokuryu)

* * *

**Important information**

\- I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rich as shit -

\- I will do my best to keep as lore-friendly as possible -

\- I've been keeping up with the manga, and it should end soon, I think -

\- My inspiration for this fanfic pairing is The Ice Princess of Konoha by JohnnyG -

\- R&amp;R is welcomed. I am not perfect, so please catch the mistakes I don't catch -

\- Rating will be T for now. May change to M for various reasons later on -

\- Chapter posted 21MAY14 -

\- Last updated 21MAY14 -

* * *

**My Lingo**

Here is a brief list of how I type in the story. Most of it will be common, but even so, everyone do tell stories in different ways.

Descriptions and the sort.

"Regular conversation."

"A _whispering or slight emphasis_ on a word in a conversation."

"A** word with strong emphasis or emotion** in a conversation."

_'A normal thought.'_

_'An __**emphasis on a word**__ in thought.'_

_**"Bijū or the sort speaking."**_

_**'Bijū**_** or the sort thinking.'**

*A sound effect or action of some sort.*

***Bijū's sound effect or action of some effect.***

**Title**.

**Section.**

Names of reviewers and titles of stories.

[Note from author. Rarely will be used.]

「Time Skip and Date」

* * *

**Author's Announcement**

Well guys, as I promised in the last chapter, here it is. The first _real_ step towards Naruto's and Hanabi's relationship. Now, it may not be a large step forward, but rather a small, _solid_ step forward, purely meant to set the solid foundation for the 2.

I don't want to rush it, as in she suddenly falls head-over-heels for our blond hero and just throws herself at him. I want her to recognize her surroundings a bit more, allowing her to get a more clear grasp on what her feelings could become for her sensei. Even so, this is a tough thing for me to pull off, so sorry if the execution isn't perfect.

Nonetheless, it's going to be slow, and for some of you, down right **painful**, lol. Just like when you see a couple which you are just like "Hurry up and get together for damn sakes!". It's because the struggle will be real here. If you want a further explanation, it's in the Author's Notes towards the end.

Also, I'm pleased. I broke 50k words with the previous chapter! Also, Chapter 7 got 1.4k views in 1 day! Really happy with that number! But anyhow, enough of my blabbering. Let's get to what you all came here for!

* * *

**Previous Chapter**

"Seeking power is not wrong, but as I said before, it should not be the only thing you seek. Don't let your desires lead you to ruin. It would devastate your old man to see his own child take such a path."

Hanabi felt ashamed of herself. She reflected on her desires and noted where she started to go wrong. She closed in on her father, hugging him, letting her emotions through. She felt ashamed for failing her father. For disgracing her clan with her actions. She felt the need to be powerful, but went about it all wrong.

At least her father stepped in before it got out of hand. For that she was truly happy about that. "I'm sorry Father. I'm really sorry for shaming you." Hanabi cried into her father, each tear filled with sadness.

Hiashi was taken back slightly. He never had much close interactions with his daughters, so hugging was still a bit of a foreign concept to him, but he couldn't stop himself as he wrapped his arms around his precious daughter. "It's alright. As long as you recognize the errors and correct it, it's alright." Hiashi comforted his daughter.

He knew he had done the right thing. Hopefully with this, he can begin to improve the relationship between both his daughters. It was awkward for him, since he never had paternal love growing up, so he didn't know how to treat his own daughters, but he swore he would do his best.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**The First of Many Steps**

「18th of May」

The Sun rises, and like always, it casted it brilliant light upon the 5 Mountain Faces of the protector's of Konoha, alerting everyone in it's presence that the dawn of a new day has arrived, as fiercely as it has done so before. The town as a whole, minus a few exceptions, has begun to stir from their slumber through the use of alarms or the fierce light of the unrelenting Sun.

One of the exceptions was a grown shinobi of blond hair description. He stayed in his deep slumber, only stirring slightly in annoyance.

One of the many who weren't of the exceptions was a young, slender Hyūga with the given name of Hanabi. No matter how much she wished, she could not deny the will of the Sun's warmth upon her face, coercing her to leave her comfortable bed.

Promptly, she followed her daily morning routine with no incident. That was until she had breakfast. Enjoying the beginning of the Sunday morning, the scent of sweet cinnamon wafted to her, alerting her sense.

She made her way to the kitchen, her body starving for her favorite food. She earned a plate full of sweet cinnamon rolls. The scent alone wetted her tastebuds as she made her way to the dining hall. _'Sundays are the best!'_

Normally, people would be hesitant about eating a small mountain of cinnamon rolls, but being a kunoichi held many perks, including burning an insane amount of calories. Accompanied with 2 bananas and a large glass of milk, she began her breakfast in earnest, savoring each bite she took, for she knew it would be another week until she could savor the same flavor.

Hanabi's father, Hiashi, made his way around the corner, spotting his youngest daughter devouring the mountain of sweet before her. He offered up a small smile. He specifically made it so that every Sunday, the chefs would bake fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls for he figured his daughters had a sweet tooth for them.

At the sight, he convinced himself that he could spoil himself once in a while and asked for 2 of the cinnamon rolls from the kitchen. Upon receiving them, he joined his daughter at the table, who was already halfway through her ginormous pile.

Hiashi wondered for a moment as to where the next Head was at, but figured that Hinata was enjoying time with her husband, and would join them later. He picked up the thick morning newspaper and began to read through it, taking a small bite out of the sticky cinnamon roll every now and then.

Hanabi finished off her rolls and chased it down with the glass of milk, grinning in satisfaction. She heard the rustling of paper and glanced over, seeing her father fold down the newspaper, looking at with with an expression saying that he wanted to say something.

"Do you have any plans for today Hanabi?" Hiashi inquired the plans of his daughter.

"Nothing in particular Father. Do you need me for something?" Hanabi asked, wondering if her Father had any tasks for her to complete on her day off.

Hiashi gave her a negative shake of the head. "No, but if I may suggest, maybe you should visit your Sensei. Give him proper thanks for his tutelage thus far."

Hanabi listened to her Father's suggestion. It was odd of him to suggest it. She always thanked him, but as she looked back, she can't say she did anything other than that. _'He must be asking me to do this to show proper respect. But what can I do to show thanks?'_

Hanabi tilted her head in thought, trying to figure a way to show her teacher how much she really appreciated his help so far.

'_To be honest, I don't know much about Naruto-sama even though he's been training me for 1 and a half months now. I guess I could spend the day with him, getting to know him and take him out for food as thanks. Seems good enough, lets go with that! Besides, it's not like I have anything else planned for the day.'_

Hanabi mentally nodded at her choice of action. "I will Father. I'll go see him right now." She faltered slightly at noticing an error. _'Even though I've been training with him for over a month now, I still don't know where he lives…'_

Hanabi turned towards the current Head of the Hyūga Clan. "Father. Do you know where Naruto lives?"

Hiashi thought for a moment, recollecting his memories of the address. He gaver her the adress and directions to get there.

Hanabi gave her thanks as she stood up and excused herself from the table, leaving her dishes for the maids to take.

Hinata came around the corner, immediately spotting Hanabi's retreating form. She sent her father a questioning gaze, asking an unvoiced thought.

"Good morning Hinata. Sorry, but your sister will not be joining us this morning. She's going to visit Naruto-sama and give him proper thanks for teaching her so far."

Hinata mulled over her thoughts for a moment. _'This is odd of Hanabi. While she is more open to making friends than I am, she typically doesn't go too far out of her way. I guess she's noticing how lucky she is to have Naruto as her sensei.'_

'_Still… She shouldn't get too close to Naruto. Wait. Why does that even matter. Stop it Hinata. You're married to Tokuma now. You swore that no matter what happened to Naruto, you wouldn't interfere with his love life. Still… It's my sister.'_

Hiashi focused on his older daughter, watching as a myriad of emotions play across her face unbeknownst to her. One of them he thought to be envy. Hiashi's stoic complex turned to one of slight concern. _'It's probably nothing. Hinata is mature enough not to take things too far.'_

Hinata began to berate herself. _'Dammit Hinata. You're reading too far into this. Even if it comes to that, you can't do anything. You already hurt him once. Don't do it again.'_ Hinata sighed as she collected her scattered thoughts. _'Just don't think about it. Just focus on the goal. I can't waver now, especially with the sacrifices I made.'_

Suddenly she notice the scent of cinnamon. Her thoughts drastically changed and focused on the food the scent was coming from.

Hiashi let out a small chuckle at Hinata's dramatic change in demeanor. _'She just might like cinnamon rolls more than Hanabi.'_

* * *

Hanabi strolled through a section of the village reserved for apartment complex. She eventually found her way to the correct apartment complex and made her way up 5 flights of stairs, reaching the 6th floor. She walked down the hallway until she came to the room number.

'_No way. Naruto-Sensei could live here… This place is dingy'_ Sure enough, she at the apartment number, which matched the number her father gave her. _'I guess this is his is place. Why would be be living in this dump?'_

Hanabi knocked on the door several times. With no response, she could only think she must've gotten the wrong place. _'Oh, don't tell me this isn't the right room. What if I misremembered the number Father gave me, and some random person came to the door. Yeah. That has to be it. There is no way how Naruto, of all people, be living here in this dumping ground they call an apartment.'_

She looked down at the name plate, hoping it would assure her that she was indeed in the wrong place. It didn't. Firmly printed on the name plate was 1 Naruto Uzumaki. She sighed in defeat as she rapped her knuckles against the door once again.

Something stirred beyond the door. _'Please let that be Naruto. I will die of absolute embarrassment if it wasn't.'_ She stood there, slightly freaking out silently in her head as she saw the door knob twitch a few times before hearing the lock being undone. _'Please. Please. Please let it be Sensei.'_

Surely enough, the door opened up and one tall shinobi with a messy mop of blond hair stood before her. In shorts. Completely shirtless. Hanabi's eyes widen as she saw the teacher before her.

She witnessed the large mass of his biceps and triceps. She saw the firmness of his pectorals. She examined the defined lines of his obliques. Her eyes traced each line of the 6-pack on Naruto. Her eyes lowered and saw the V-lines leading down past his shorts. _'Damn. I knew he was fit, but I never saw him shirtless…'_

"H-Hanabi?" Naruto called out in a sleepy tone.

Hearing her name being called, she immediate shook herself from her awestruck daze, leaving a blush on her cheeks out of embarrassment at where her thought were leading to. "G-Good morning Sensei!" Hanabi called out with too much energy as she bowed.

'_That's a bit energetic of a greeting…'_ Naruto thought to himself as he was questioning why Hanabi would show up to his apartment. "What brings you here? It's not Monday is it? I thought it was still Sunday. Did I sleep for a whole day or something?" Naruto questioned out-loud thinking that he somehow lost track of what day it was.

Hanabi raised her head, trying her best to have her eyes glued to her teacher's chest, which was proving rather difficult. "N-No. It is still Sunday. I. I wanted to spend the day with you." Hanabi mentally smacked herself in the forehead. She realized that it just sounded like a confession.

"I mean, spend the day with you to get to know you better." She mentally slapped herself again. _'God dammit Hanabi. That doesn't sound any better! Get your act together!'_

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. _'Wait… What? Nah. Don't think too hard about it. It will only make things awkward.'_ Naruto brushed off his thoughts. "Ah. I see. Sorry about that. I've only been focusing on training you, so I guess we never spent much time getting to know each other."

Hanabi exhaled a sigh of relief. _'Oh. Thank god he didn't misunderstand me. That was about to get awkward real fast.'_

"Well, come on in." Naruto motioned as he left the door open. He retreated back to his bedroom to toss a shirt on.

Hanabi looked around examining his apartment. A very minimalist. She noticed a ton of scrolls laying unfurled across the table and a thick tome opened wide. Hanabi walked over the the simplistic coffee table and picked up the book, reading a brief excerpt from the page.

"Upon the creation of Konoha, the founders decided to have the village sectioned off to areas where similar a vast majority of similar buildings would be grouped together. Such examples would be for housing complexes to be grouped with other housing complexes, stores with stores, restaurants with restaurants, so on and so forth. This would make navigation of the new village simpler.

The Clans picked their respective areas of the village for their complex to be built. Of the numerous clans of Konoha, there are currently 8 Noble clans. These clans are the Aburame, Akimichi, Hyūga, Uchiha, Senju, Sarutobi, Namikaze, and Uzumaki. Of these 8, Aburame, Akimichi, Hyūga and Uchiha were the original 4 Noble clans.

Senju was given Nobility due to being a founding member and for providing 3 Hokages. Sarutobi was given Nobility because of their great influential members and producing members who consistently held high positions of authority, one of them being the 3rd Hokage. Namikaze, while there is only 1 surviving member, was given their title of nobility due to one of their members becoming Hokage.

Lastly, the Uzumaki clan was given a title of Nobility due to their relations to the Senju clan with their ties to Konoha, along with contributing members of their clans to be Jinchūriki. Their people are the only ones with chakra strong enough to house and bind the Kyūbi.

Other noteworthy members of Konoha consist of Inuzuka clan, known for their use of ninken as fighting companions, Yamanaka, who specialise in mind related techniques, and the Nara clan, known for their intelligence and shadow jutsu."

'_So this is about the history of Konoha's clans. Never thought Naruto would be interested in this kind of stuff.'_ Hanabi thought to herself as she placed the book on the table. Hanabi heard the closing of a door, catching her attention.

Before her was her sensei in a simple pair of grey shorts and a large white t-shirt that engulfed his frame. _'With him wearing that, I can actually look at him without blushing now.'_ Hanabi's mind was at ease, until she saw the mop of golden locks upon his head. A giggle slipped through her lips.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, questioning what his student was laughing at. "What's so funny?"

"You're hair." Hanabi pointed to the top his head. "It's ridiculous." Hanabi couldn't help but laugh lightly at the erratic hair style Naruto was sporting unintentionally.

'_Ah, she means my bed head.'_ Naruto gave a light shrug as his stomach growled.

Hanabi could help but laugh again. "I guess someone's hungry." Naruto made a movement, but Hanabi waved him off. "I'll make you some breakfast, Sensei. Just tell me a bit about yourself."

Naruto was a bit shocked of the situation he was in. _'A cute girl making me breakfast. That hasn't happened in awhile.'_ Naruto smirked a bit before sitting down, letting Hanabi to her devices. He figured this would be easiest to go with the flow. "What would you like to know?"

Hanabi opened up the fridge, looking through the selection of chilled goods. "Well. I'm curious as to why you live here. I'm sure you can afford a much better place." Hanabi noted the carton of eggs and pulled them out, closing the fridge. She grabbed a pan and placed it on the stove. "How do you want your eggs?"

"Ah, scrambled will be fine."

'_Easy enough. I'm not a great cook, but I can't mess that up.'_

"As to why I live here, it's because the Third bought it for me a long time ago."

Hanabi cracked a couple of eggs and began to stir them. "The previous Hokage bought an apartment for you? Why?" Hanabi asked, her curiosity growing by the second.

"Well…" Naruto paused for a moment. He didn't like talking about his past too much, but he didn't feel like he had any reason to keep things from his student either. "You know I was raised as an orphan. After a few years, the orphanage kicked me out, so instead of living on the street, the Hokage bought me an apartment."

"Wait. You were _kicked out_? That's pretty messed up!" Hanabi practically shouted, stirring the eggs with even more ferocity than before.

"Well, when you are the Jinchūriki, and everyone thinks you're a demon in disguise, people can be pretty harsh."

Hanabi sighed, setting the bowl on the counter, opening up the fridge again. She pulled out a carton of milk and poured a small amount into the whipped eggs. "Sorry to hear about that."

"It's alright. It's not your fault. But yeah. I stay here because it was a gift given to me. Plus I don't have to pay rent. It may be small, run down, and not the best place, but it's free, and it was the first gift ever given to me." Naruto smiled, remembering all the memories he had in this place.

Hanabi smiled. _'So it has a lot of sentimental value to him.'_ She turned on the stove and poured the simple concoction of egg and milk onto the pan. She grabbed the loaf of bread and held it up. "Toast?"

"Yes please." Naruto replied with a growing grin.

"What level do you want your toast?" Hanabi asked as she slipped 2 pieces of bread into the toaster.

"5 will do."

"Butter?" hanabi asked, pushing down the lever, activating the toaster.

"Nah. Jam on one, peanut butter on the other."

Hanabi gave a simple nod as she stirred the eggs in the pan. "Mind telling me more about your childhood? I take it the Ichiraku Ramen stand is important to you since you eat there all the time."

Naruto gave an energetic nod. "Old man Teuchi and Ayame are family to me. They were practically the only restaurant that never shunned me for what I was. They even gave me free meals occasionally and meal tickets on my birthdays!"

"Family huh."

"Yeah. They made my life better even if I was ganged up and beaten almost everyday."

Hanabi visibly flinched. She couldn't even began to imagine how bad it was to be beaten up almost everyday. "They really hated you that much? Didn't the Hokage do anything about that?"

"He tried, but he can't go around killing citizens just because they hit a kid. Besides, he couldn't spare ANBU to keep an eye on me 24/7. That would be overkill. He tossed them into jail regularly, but it didn't stop most of them. Thankfully they never tried to kill me too often."

Hanabi removed the pan from the source of heat and turned around. "They tried to kill you?! What was wrong with those people." Hanabi almost yelled out.

Naruto sighed. This was why he didn't like explaining his past. People always got extremely emotional about it. "Well they didn't understand the concept that I was the jailer and Kurama was the prisoner… Or as Tenten put it, I was the scroll and he was the kunai. So they thought by hurting me, they would be hurting the fox who killed those who they loved."

'_He's the scroll, not the kunai. That's a pretty good analogy.'_ Hanabi sighed as the toaster launched the warmed bread. "Even so, that's pretty inhumane." Hanabi spread the jam and peanut butter on the toast, and scooped the eggs onto a plate. She spun around with finesse and placed the plate of simple food before Naruto. "Sorry it isn't much."

"Nah. Don't worry about it Hanabi. It's kind of you to fix me breakfast in the first place. How about you fix yourself something."

"No. I'm good. I already ate with my family." Hanabi smiled as she thought back to the sweet taste of cinnamon rolls.

Hanabi snapped out of her reminiscent state and poised another question. "So enough with negatives. Would you mind telling me some positives?"

"Ah, sorry. Sadly there wasn't much positive until I became a Genin. I made some good friends in the Ninja Academy, so they helped me through my childhood, always making me smile when I was in their company."

"Once I was a Genin, things started picking up. Kakashi was a good Sensei, Sasuke became like a brother, even though we always fought, and Sakura. Well, Sakura was Sakura. Always having my back, even if she was punching my face a lot."

Hanabi had a small fit of laughter. "I heard from Hinata that you chased her relentlessly."

Naruto left out a small chuckle. "Yeah. In the end, she becoming more like a sister though. Where all I cared about was her being happy."

"After that, we had the Chunin Exam, with the invasion soon following. That day, I lost the one person who was looking out for me since the very beginning. Even today, I still miss Hokage-jiji." Naruto sighed as he briefly thought of the grandfather-like Hokage.

"Jiraya and I left to find Tsunade, and shortly after that, Sasuke betrayed us and left for Orochimaru. I'm sure you know all about that."

Hanabi gave a silent nod. She knew all about how 2 future clan heads almost died on that mission. The clan heads were pissed about it. Even her father was pissed about what happened to Neji and the others. There was a big uproar over that situation, everyone one of them wanted the Hokage to send ANBU to kill the traitor. Saying they shouldn't show favoritism just because he was one of the last of the Great 3 Dōjutsu.

The Godaime Hokage refused it. Saying that if she sent ANBU after Orochimaru, it would only end in their death. Orochimaru was too dangerous, even with his arms sealed. So they didn't pursue the traitorous Uchiha.

"After that, I left with Ero-Sennin. We traveled, collected information, and trained together, helping me gain more control over my Jinchūriki form. That pretty much sums up my childhood in a nutshell."

"I'll be honest Sensei. It sounds like you went through hell as a kid."

Naruto let out a laugh after finishing off a piece of toast. "It wasn't so bad. I had a good group of friends, and I would trade anything for that."

Hanabi smiled. Before her was the most powerful ninja in all the land, yet he was simple. He didn't crave power. He didn't seek glory. He didn't think himself above others. Always seeking a simple life. Caring for what he has right now.

"Any other questions?" Naruto asked as he started eating away the scrambled eggs.

Hanabi grinned. "Many." She sought understanding of this person named Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Hours passed by. Before they even knew it, it was noon. Hanabi asked question after question. Asking about his missions, his jutsus, his training, his path to becoming a sage, and even about Kurama himself. Each answer brought her closer and closer to understanding him, but she was running out of questions to ask.

"Lets take a break. I still need to shower." Naruto admitted with a bit of embarrassment. Naruto stood up and headed towards his bedroom.

Hanabi looked around. Naruto tidied up the place a bit as she was asking questions. His scrolls were rolled up and stacked upon each other. The books were closed, bookmarks left where they were once opened at.

The sound of water running caught her attention. Her mind suddenly flashed back to when she first knocked on Naruto's apartment door. The memories of seeing Naruto standing there shirtless rushed to the front of her mind.

'_Stop right there. Don't go getting perverted thoughts Hanabi.'_ She mentally berated herself, even though she knew it to be no good. The sculpted body that Naruto had couldn't leave her mind anytime soon. A blush threatened to spread across her face.

She quickly forced her mind to focus on something else. Anything else. She glanced around fervently, until something caught her attention. Several things actually. Several picture frames.

She lifted herself from the couch and moved across the room to the window sill. There rested several photos. One was of his team as Genin. The young group of Team 7. Next to it was the older picture of Team 7, Kakashi substituted by Yamato, and Sasuke substituted by Sai.

The 3rd photo was of all 5 members grouped together. The 4th one was of Naruto achieving the Chūnin Rank. The 5th was the same, but Jonin rank. The 6th was of the 4th Hokage and his wife pregnant with Naruto. His only family picture.

The 7th was of Naruto and Tenten gently kissing each other. The picture brought a slight blush to her face seeing the two prominently displaying their affection. She heard of when Naruto started dating the weapon mistress. It was a shock to everyone in the village. It was completely out of left field.

Nonetheless, they made a good couple from what it looked like in the picture. To say Hinata was disappointed at the news would be an understatement. Her older sister was devastated, locking herself in her room for a solid week.

She looked to the final picture. It was Naruto and Hinata. The smile on her face was radiant. A small blush on her face as she clenched closely to her boyfriend's arm. Seeing how happy she looked in that, she didn't understand why her sister would break up with him.

She never got a straight answer from her sister. As far as she knew, her Father never got an answer from her either. She decided to stop pushing the subject a while ago. If she was to know, her sister would tell her. Still, it bugged her. She never seen her sister so happy before, or so sad afterwards.

A heavy sigh came out, scaring her half to death. She spun on the spot and saw Naruto standing behind her. He was dressed in a casual set of clothes. A black pair of cargo pants and a dark blue tshirt. No special designs or anything. His golden locks still shimmering with small droplets of water imbedded between the spikes.

He had an unreadable expression on his face. It was out of place from the normal grinning ninja she came to know over the past month and a half. Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, he flashed her a grin, calming her nerves.

'_How does he do that?'_ Hanabi asked as her heart settled down.

"Like the pictures?" Naruto asked.

"Uh… Sorry. I didn't mean to pry or anything."

"Nonsense Hanabi. They are sitting out in the open for other's to see."

"Oh…" Hanabi fidgeted on the spot, wondering if it would be proper to ask the questions that were roaming in her mind at that instant. _'I won't know unless I ask.'_

"Uh… Sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me about your relationships?"

Naruto cheerful demeanor left his face, giving her the same unreadable expression he had just moments before. His expression darkened with a hint of pain. "I rather not talk about that topic." Naruto answered as he turned his head, unable to look at her in the eyes.

'_The pain must still be there.'_ She knew what it was like to have a relationship end. She dated a few people, but thankfully, for her heart, they never got really serious. She could only imagine the scars on Naruto's heart.

She heard that both Tenten and her sister were equally distraught after breaking up with the blond man before her. She heard about the fighting between Tenten and Hinata on both separate occasions. How could she not. When anything concerning Naruto came to light, the entire town would gossip about it.

If it hurt the girls as much as she thought, she could only imagine how much it hurt for Naruto, who was on the receiving end of being dumped. Both times. "Sorry. I shouldn't of asked."

Naruto shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with asking Hanabi. Maybe in time I can tell you, but right now, I can't."

"I understand Sensei."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled with appreciation. "Thanks Hanabi. Now how about we go eat out for lunch? Since you made me breakfast, lunch is my treat. You can decide."

She flashed a grin and left.

Naruto could only sigh as he followed his student. _'Why do I have this feeling that I'm going to regret this?'_

* * *

Hanabi proudly walked through the street of the dining district, her sensei in tow. She wore a radiant smile from the aspect of her teacher promising to treat her to lunch, and it was her own choice as well! Finally, it would be time to pay him back for always making her eat at that ramen stand during the training sessions.

It was good, no denying the chef's skill, but she could only eat so much of one thing so often until she got fed up with it. She scanned each of the restaurants, making notes of each one that peaked her interest. _'So many good ones to choose from.'_ Hanabi sighed. _'Which one, which one… I feel like having sushi. So what's a good place to pick?'_

Finally, her eyes found what she was looking for. One of the best, if not _the_ best in the village for sushi. Above the restaurant was a sign with the kanji for "The Swimming Leaf". _'Ah, Suiei no Konoha. That will suffice!'_

Hanabi promptly turned on her heels and faced her teacher, who she has been dragging this whole time, much to his resistance. She pointed to the the restaurant. She flashed him a toothy grin as all color left his face.

'_Shit. I know that place. She wants sushi? That stuff certainly isn't cheap!'_ He sighed in defeat. _'Sorry Gama-chan. You'll be starving after this.'_ Naruto remarked, knowing that once again, his frog wallet, which is usually filled to the brim, was going to be deflated. He made a mental note to quote unquote _feed_ his wallet with some bills afterwards.

Slowly, he made his way to the restaurant, where Hanabi was already asking for a table of 2. The hostess flashed a grin upon seeing who, she presumed, to be her date. Naruto knew that grin from anywhere. _'Oh god. That's the grin Ino gets when she gets her hands on some gossip.'_ He hanged his head in defeat. He only hoped this wouldn't get too out of hand.

The hostess lead the 2 to a table and handed them a variety of menus. "Your waiter will be here shortly. Please enjoy your stay." The hostess flashed another smile to the 2 before leaving, returning to the front of the restaurant.

Hanabi grabbed the menu you and flipped it open. She started to read the selection of sushi the restaurant offered, noting each one that seemed appealing to her at the time. _'Hmm.. There's a lot of different fish. Even eel. This one has some crab. Oh, and this has sea urchin.'_

"So which one do you think is good to try?" Naruto asked, unsure as to how the sushi would taste. "I never ate raw fish that much."

"It all depends on the type of fish you like eating."

"Well, I don't know. The concept of raw fish is a bit weird." Naruto said with uncertainty.

"You'll like it, I promise." Hanabi said, attempting to convince him.

'_If you say so.'_ Naruto scanned through the selection of nigiri section, looking through the descriptions. _'Something simple there, and that Salmon looks delicious.'_ He scanned further down, through the maki section, another one catching his attention. _'__Tuna and Crabmeat. What is this, avocado rolled with Salmon? It's topped with Tobiko, Mango sauce and Unagi sauce. Sounds good enough to try as well.'_

Hanabi was also surfing through the menu. _'I haven't been here in a while, so I think it would be best for me to get a variety of sushi. Who knows when I will be back.'_ With a grin, she found what she thought to be the perfect one.

The waiter arrived as the 2 finished looking over their menus. "Do you have your orders?"

"I think I'll go with the Sake Nigiri and the Orange Blossom." Naruto decided, closing the menu.

The waiter scribbled down the blonds order before turning to the other customer.

"I would like the Rainbow Maki." Hanabi replied to the waiter.

"Anything to drink?" The waiter asked.

"Water please." Both of them replied in sync.

The waiter claimed the menus and left, leaving the 2 in silence again.

"So. Since we talked about me this morning, mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

'_I guess that's only fair.'_ Hanabi smiled. "What would you like to know?"

Naruto shrugged. "Oh, just the common stuff. You know, like your dreams, your goals, your likes and dislikes."

"Well. My dreams and goals have shifted greatly fairly recently. I was slated to be the next Clan Head, but it seems more and more likely it will go to my sister and I will be placed in the Branch House. So I guess for now, my dream is to be a representative for the Branch House."

"My goal is to master the Gentle Fist and become the best kunoichi I can be. I like training. The foods I like the most are bananas, milk, and sweet things. On the other hand, I hate the taste of mitsuba."

Naruto chuckled lightly as his student's visible displeasure from the thought of her least favorite food. The waiter showed up and silently distributed the cups of ice water to the two, before leaving them alone once again.

Naruto's light aura changed dramatically as the waiter left. "I don't mean to pry, but I want to know. Do you have any resentment to your sister for taking the position of the next Clan Head from you?"

Hanabi shook her head. "I don't. Although I don't want to be in the Branch House and have the Juinjutsu placed on me, it was originally her position by birthright. Plus, I know she is taking the more difficult road of the 2 of us."

"Speaking of seals, I got a question for you. What got you into learning seals sensei?"

"Well, the reason why I'm learning seals is because I have to seal the other Bijū. As it stands right now, there is no balance of power. The Land of Fire, or rather I myself, hold too much weight."

"For the past few years, when I take my trips, I always spend some time in the Land of Whirlpools, hoping to recover some seals left behind by my clan. I haven't broken through a lot of their seals, and there is much more to explore in the ruins."

"Sounds really important. I don't know much about seals, but I'm sure they are anything but easy."

"Normally, most seals aren't that complex. When it comes to seals created by my clan though, that's a different matter."

"They were feared by the world for a reason I guess. None of the books I read said anything about the types of seals they used to make them so feared though."

"The seals don't necessarily have to cause a lot of damage to be feared. Just think of your seal. Imagine if that got out?" Naruto hinted at the ramifications.

"Ah. I see. If other villages heard about that, they would seek out the knowledge to use it themselves."

"Or worse, capture someone with the seal and try to reverse engineer it. Luckily, this seal isn't all _too_ complex. Any master-level fūinjutsu user should be able to create one themselves."

"But there aren't too many fūinjutsu specialists. Anything other than common seals are becoming a rarity, even I know that."

Naruto sighed. "I know. The last seal master we had in Konoha was Jiraya. Luckily for me, I have his notes on seals. Unluckily for me, they aren't as extensive as I would hope."

The waiter came by, bringing the plates of sushi.

Naruto looked down at his first plate, intrigued at how the food would look. The Sake Nigiri has several bright orange slabs of Salmon with white lines running across it, tied by seaweed on a small piles of rice.

His second plate had the Orange Blossom Maki. Slices of Salmon curved, outlining the level of rice on the inside. The center was filled with Tuna, Crabmeat, and avocado. Each piece topped with Tobiko, Mango and Unagi sauce.

Hanabi stared at her plate. There was a long line of a variety of colors, representing the different types of fish placed on top of the roll. She was pleased with the attention made in this artful creation. From a glance, she could tell they used Sea Bass, Tuna, Salmon and Yellowtail sashimi along with avocado on the top of the roll.

They both picked up their chopsticks. "Let's dig in!" Naruto cheerfully said, taking his first bite.

Hanabi giggled, seeing her sensei eating with a passion. She was awed that someone so powerful and influential acts like a normal person. _'Well… Maybe not like a normal person. I should really teach him some manners.'_ Hanabi let out another giggled, catching Naruto's attention.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked, point his chopsticks at her in a menacing, yet playful manner.

"You're lack of etiquette is what's funny."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is the matter with my eating habits?"

"Starters, you didn't say _itadakimasu_." [Proper way of saying "let's eat"]

"I was close enough." Naruto returned.

"Saying _let's dig in_ is not close enough. Secondly. You aren't eating with any grace." Hanabi pointed out.

"Oh?" Naruto asked in a questioning tone. "And how does one eat so gracefully?" Naruto asked, offering up a challenge to his pupil.

"I'll show you." Hanabi held her hands together as she offered a silent prayer and gave thanks for the meal. "Itadakimasu." She swiftly pulled the chopsticks from their paper wrapper and broke them apart.

She fluidly slid them into her hands and plucked the first sushi roll that was adorned with avocado. She placed her left hand under the floating piece as she took a bite, half of it disappearing beyond her lips.

Silently, she swallowed her portion before eating the other half, never letting a grain of rice fall into her cradling hand. She gently laid her chopsticks down and smiled at the blond. "That is how you eat with manners." Hanabi replied smartly, yet playfully.

"Aye, aye, _sensei_." Naruto playfully replied, taking a bite from his Orange Blossom.

Hanabi grinned as she picked up a slice with Tuna sashimi. Taking a bite, her lips curled with delight from the taste. She took the next sliced and tasted Salmon. She looked over and saw Naruto was already finished with half of both orders. '_Damn he eats fast.'_

"Enjoying your meal?" Hanabi asked as she took a bite out of a slice with Sea Bass.

"Yeah. It's better than I expected."

Hanabi smirked with success. "Told you so."

Naruto merely scoffed. "How's that roll?" Naruto asked, wondering of it's taste.

"Pretty good. Here," Hanabi extended her chopsticks, holding the remaining bit of the roll. "try it. It's Sea Bass."

"I didn't ask for a bite, Hanabi." Naruto refused.

"Well, you won't know the taste until you taste it, dummy. Now say _ah_." Hanabi replied, bring up a solid point.

"I can feed it to myself. I'm not a kid, Hanabi." Naruto declined.

"Stop being a spoil sport, and just say ah." Hanabi demanded in a firm, yet light tone.

Naruto huffed, exhaling the last ounce of his resistance. He begrudgingly opened his mouth with an ah-sound. Hanabi smiled as she slipped the remaining roll into his mouth, to which he closed promptly.

"Now. Was that so hard?" Hanabi asked with a smirk of her triumph.

"No, but it was embarrassing as hell." Naruto replied near mutely.

"And why is it so embarrassing?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto stared at her, unsure whether to answer that question or not. Deciding with the former, he gave her the answer. "Because it felt like I was being fed by a _girlfriend_."

Hanabi was shocked when she heard Naruto whispering out the final word. _'Girlfriend? I mean… I guess if someone was looking from outside in, they may see something like that. Still, can't believe he said that. Does that mean… No. Don't read into it. He only said it felt like, not that he was. He wouldn't be interested in you. There are more worthy people than you. Don't get carried away. He wouldn't like someone like you like that.'_

Hanabi was blushing on the spot as she followed her train of thought. She ended it before it got too wild. She placed the next roll in her mouth as a distraction, focusing on the prominent taste of avocado.

She looked down and saw that the next slice was Yellow Tail. She glanced over at Naruto's plates and scanned his food. _'I don't see any Yellow Tail in his dish. So he might be interested in this.'_ She mused to herself.

Hanabi ate half the roll again, before placing it back on the plate. She fiddled with half-eaten roll for a moment. _'Should I? I think I already made it awkward enough, so I shouldn't, but I still want to. I think if I do, then maybe… Just maybe, I can get him to like me. Just a little.'_

Hanabi struggled as she lifted the half roll into the air. _'Do it. Just do it!'_ Hanabi steeled her resolved as she offered up the last half of the roll with Yellow Tail sashimi on top. "N-Naruto."

Naruto, up until this time, was trying to finish off the rest of his sushi to help pacify the embarrassing feelings welling up inside. Hanabi's voice along with his name captured his attention. He gazed up at her, seeing her posed, offering him another bite of one of her rolls. He let out an audible gulp.

Seeing such a misplaced timid expression on his student, he didn't know what to do. His mind coming up blank as what to do next. He tried and nothing came. He could only stare at her, seeing the tiny shivers of embarrassment tremor through her body.

Mustering up the bit of courage she had, she told him what to do. "Say Ah."

Hearing such a sweet and docile tone coming from Hanabi compelled him to do what she said. He couldn't think to open his mouth, or to keep it shut. His body's will was entranced from the sound of her voice. His mouth open as she commanded.

She carefully placed the remaining half of the roll into his mouth. As soon as she was sure it was safely placed, she withdrew her chopsticks and stared down at her food again.

Naruto's mind began to turn at a furious pace as she chewed on the sushi. _'Why is she nervous? Wait. Of course she's nervous, you idiot. She just fed you. Hell. I'm nervous as all fuck! Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.'_ Naruto chanted to himself as he finished the roll.

"That was good. Thank you Hanabi."

Hanabi kept her head down, but she was smiling at the thanks. The both of them remained in silence as they finished the meal.

* * *

Hanabi didn't know why, but time was flying past her at a neck-breaking speed. Last thing she remembered was sharing that roll with Naruto. Next thing she knows, she's standing maybe 20 meters from her compound, Naruto leading her all the way from the dining district in silence.

She couldn't let it end like that. She knew she couldn't. She had to say something, preferably away from the guards. She was nervous enough as is. Knowing there would be ears, and ears of her family, would not make it any easier. So she stopped in the street leading to the compound.

Her action, or lack there of, immediate caught his attention. He turned back to see Hanabi standing still. He saw she was clenching her fist. "Hanabi. Are you ok?" Naruto asked in a worry-filled tone.

"Y-Yes!" Hanabi replied slightly more fiercely than she meant, earning a chuckle from Naruto at the expense of further embarrassing herself. She was ok with it. Just hearing that laugh made her feel warm.

Hanabi looked up to her sensei, staring into his blue eyes. For a moment, she felt lost in the ocean of blue that was reflected in his eyes. She firmly grasp the edge of reality and focused her attention. "I just wanted to say thank you for spending the day with me and letting me getting to know you more."

Naruto smiled as the sweet demeanor of his student. _'She may be tough on the outside, but she's a sweet and kind person on the inside.'_

"I hope we can do this again sometime." Hanabi voiced her thought with a beaming smile before walking past him, making her way to the compound.

Naruto turned and watched his student retreating figure with a questioning gaze. _'Do what again? Talk? No. Far too happy of a tone for just simply taking. There was a different meaning there with that tone.'_

Naruto thought throughout the day, taking in the events the unfolded. Suddenly, it clicked. _'No. It couldn't be… Nah. It couldn't of been a date. We never said it was. Still. It felt faintly like it. Stop it man. That's your student there. You're going to misunderstand it if you think too hard. She just wanted to learn more about her teacher. Just leave it there.'_

Still, the thought of today's events seemingly unfolded into a date-like scenario lingered in his mind. A thought he was sure he should be happy or mad about having.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Oh God. Finally done. This chapter was so hard. I worked through several variations, and I'm still not sure that this is as good as it could be. Hell, I have half a mind to not release this and keep working on it, but it's already been 8 full days. 8 FULL DAYS!

Again… Sorry. This chapter was hard, and class is not making it easy. As well as having the PRT looming over my head, which is in T-Minus 8 hours of this being posted. Ugh. I'll pass though. Fit enough. Just hate doing it.

Anyways, I feel I should explain myself here after you read the chapter, so you will better understand what I'm going for and why. Also, if I place it here, rather than in the Author's Announcement, it won't spoil anything for you all.

You have a single man who is easily the most powerful in the 5 nations. A man who bends not only the will of 1 Bijū, but 9, to his will. And not just 1 half of them, but both halves of them. Well, I wouldn't say _bends_ their will. That would make him seem like a tyrant. Rather, he can _convince_ them to help him. That's a lot better.

As for Hanabi, she's a single person. While yes, she is currently a member of the Main House of the Hyūga clan, she is also being threatened to be placed in the Branch House. She see's this a major devalue to herself. So she wonders why would Naruto, her sensei, would want anything with someone who is so… Mundane in status, in comparison to himself, who could marry any person he wants, literally. Grand-daughter of the Daimyō? Totally up for grabs for him if he so wishes it. Not saying he will, I'm just using that as an example.

His title goes a loooooong way. As it should. He freaking saved the world! He doesn't care for his title, but whether he wants it to or not, it does go a long way. Which frustrates him a bit, which I hinted at before. Just a bit… More plot on that later.

Hopefully, as you can tell, I have a lot of plots intermingling with each other. This is going to be a very intricate story, so I pardon ahead of time if it gets a bit confusing. My muse runs wild a lot, so I have to keep it on a leash. A tight leash.

Speaking of leashes, some of you might be wondering why Sasuke is still alive. One reason. Naruto. Like I said. His title goes a loooong way. Not only that, but Sasukes did have a MAJOR factor in saving the 5 Nations. Safe to say that if it wasn't for Naruto, he would've been killed, _if_ they could manage it. He is _ALMOST_ as powerful as Naruto without help from multiple Bijū. Pretty OP.

So Sasuke is in a precarious situation. He can't act out in any way. He has to be obedient and control his emotions, which can be difficult for the Uchiha. But his whole situation will come forth a much later time. He will have a role in this story later on.

Also, I hope you guys saw what I did with the title of the chapter. If you didn't, read the Author's Announcement then the Title. XD

Oh, and just so you guys know, and fully understand, Naruto is OP as shit. I mean, read the manga and tell me I'm wrong. Sooo OP. Sasuke isn't much better either. Even so, without the help of the Bijū and/or their chakra, he _might_ be on par with the demons. The only thing that is holding him back from fighting Kurama is absolute certainty of winning.

I'll explain more later on. Until then, see you all next chapter!

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**Replies to Chapter 7 Reviews**

Guest117: Happy you like the story.

\- Tenten: Eh. There is more to her than that, but I understand your POV.

\- Hinata: What can I say. Life is complicated. Also understand your POV.

\- Anko: Definitely comic relief, as well to stress the point that there are people who want him.

\- Naruto: I try my best, lol.

I'm sure the next chapter will be up soon.

warrof: Thank you again for catching the mistakes. Fixed them. As for the 3rd. Well, I know cannon wise, it isn't so, but for this story, it is. The reason why will be explained when Naruto teaches Hanabi the Shadow Clone.

9tailsfox2: I'm happy you are happy with the chapter. It's still a rough draft, seeing how I have no beta. TT-TT. As for Hanabi's shift in goals. It's the same, but she will pursue it more… Maturely? Yeah. Naruto will notice this, which will give him a breather from his worries.

And yeah, the fight between Naruto and Kurama, won't lie. Thousandson's work was an influence, but it was a thought in my head with my previous, scratched, works. Besides, he hasn't made them fight yet! . Still waiting on that next chapter.

As for the other Jinchūrikis, they will be OC, obviously.

LordHero: You're welcome for the new chapter! ^_^. And I love focusing on characters interations and development. It makes them feel more alive, which lets my muse decide what to do with them. Or well, let my muse decide what _they_ would do in those situations.

And yeah, I definitely used that time skip for that very reason. The whole 7 and 13 year old pairing, or even younger, just doesn't flow well with me. Just feels too young for me. Waaaay too young.

As for Sasuke and Karin… Well, he's also married to Sakura too. Nonetheless, if you read the latest chapters, it would be impossible to gain the Rinnegan because it's not the genetics that brings it forth, but rather something else. Won't say anymore cause spoilers. Not until the anime catches up.

Sasuke is doing his best to repent for his actions, and you bet your ass everyone is watching him. He's on a tight leash. I'll go more indepth about it when Naruto talks to Sasuke. Their relationship is rocky, but there is still a bridge there.

As for the strengthen Byakugan… Well… We will cover that later. That is a major plot I don't want to reveal too soon as to what I want to do about that. So much I can do with it. Too precious to let the cat out of the bag yet.

Ryuujin96: Haha, yes! More reviews are always good! I have to thank you for leaving a review with every chapter. Not only to you, but to everyone else who has done so as well! It shows that you are closely following my work and always giving suggestions via reviews or pms, so I thank you all for that!

As for Hinata, I'm happy you are pleased with it. I want Hinata to be strong like Naruto, even if she can't be with him. It shows that she really did take on his Nindo, or his Ninja Way. As for me, I reflected a bit of myself on Hinata there. My love for my family is greater than the love I have for others, for through thick or thin, they will be there for me.

As for Hiashi, that is his job as a father. He's learning how to be a proper father and mend the relationship with his daughters, which thankfully isn't too late, much like how he mended the relationships with his nephew, Neji, who he probably saw him as his own son seeing how he was the son of his twin brother.

As for letting go of the other Bijūs, don't be sad. He will have a bit more time with them, and even afterwards, he will interact with them frequently, making sure the fellow Jinchūrikis are raised correctly and help train them.

Strife666: I'm happy to hear your thoughts! I hope you will continue to love it in the future.

girrr: Thank you.

catsan: Happy you love the story. I will keep up the hard work.

Minders: Wow. Long review. Yes I have read that fanfic. There are some influences from that work in here, but I promise you it will be vastly different. Just give me a bit more time to cover more ground to show the different direction I am going.

As for Hinata, keep in mind, the main people in this story are Naruto and Hanabi. Anyone else is extra. Nonetheless, some of those 'extras' will be important in their own right. Each of them will interact with Naruto in significant ways to help shape him into what he needs to be in order to be a good Hokage.

Thank you very much for catching that error. I already corrected it. It says kids, instead of King. I will keep up the hard work. I look forward to more of your reviews!

jamnaz79: Thank you. Happy you like it. I'll be sure to keep it up as long as I can!

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**Edits**

21MAY14: Corrections made as per warrof. Thank you very much!

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\- Chapter 8 -

\- COMPLETE -


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